Not by the Playbook

It's nearly 20 years since Wimbledon decided to award equal prize money. The tennis world has come a long way since a group of women players known as "The Original 9" eventually forced the creation of a Women's tour. Billie Jean King was the most famous of the Original 9, but Julie Heldman was also one of the nine, and her mother, Gladys, also played a crucial role... I've been speaking to Julie a...

It's one of the most refined sporting venues in the world. Hydrangeas and petunias, complemented by climbing roses and foxgloves, A glorious display of purple white and green. Welcome to South East London and the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club club here in Wimbledon We start with the remarkable story of Andrea Jaeger. Her career burned bright like the star she is, and in a flash it was...

With around 15 tattoos across her arms neck and throat and a habit of wearing temporary tattoos on her face when playing, it's fair to say Oleksandra Oliynykova has a distinctive look. But she also has a fearsome will to win, and is knocking on the door of the top 50, in women's tennis. Born in Ukraine, when war broke out in 2014, she escaped to Croatia. It was there that her tennis career flouris...

"Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul." So said US actress Jamie Lyn Beatty. So this week we fill your soul with fantastical adventures and adventurers. Belgium Tom de Dorlodot soars through the air like an eagle, exploring places untouched by humans. He does it all by harnessing the power of the wind and his spirit of adventure. Tom is a record breaking paraglider who has crossed...

"Some people think football is a matter of life and death... I can assure them it is much more serious than that." So said legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. And whilst the World Cup is on, it can certainly feel like that, but whether you're a fanatic, glued to every last moment of action, or doing whatever you can to avoid being subjected to it, what you can't deny is the impact of soccer....

This week we take a tour of England highlighting the stories and legends from every part of "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England." to borrow a quote from William Shakespeare! We start in the deep South West and the port city of Plymouth, birthplace of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth diving champion Tom Daley. The poster boy of the London 2012 games; his debut came fou...

Four pioneers from four different sports all of whom trod a path where no path had previously existed. Along the way their determination not only made them legends, but gave all those who came after them the chance to see what success could look like and have something to emulate. Women's professional sport has, for most, only been a very recent thing. Take women's rugby, the professional era whic...

Winning is great, but hard work. Never loosing is much rarer and almost impossible. This week four elite sport stars who didn't just win, they dominated. But how, and what sets them apart, what got them to the top and what made them stay there! We've had some big numbers on this show when it comes to medals, but no one comes remotely close to Jessica Long. The American swimmer has won an astonishi...

We start in the Arctic Circle, via the Welsh valleys, where Cath Pendleton has always loved swimming. Born from a childhood playing in the rivers of her home town of Merthyr, all through her life, her time in the water has been a sanctuary from the strain of daily life. But what makes Cath's story so remarkable is the type of open water swimming she loves the most is in the coldest waters you can...

Do you ever find yourself thinking back to the good old days, whenever they were, and thinking about someone you've not seen for a while and wondering "What ever happened to" Well this week we hear from four former elite sport stars who are now enjoying a very different career to the one you knew them for! First up a chat with an Australian about cricket, not that unusual you might think but this...

Author Dagny Scott Barrios, once wrote “Every run is a work of art, a drawing on each day's canvas. Some runs are shouts and some runs are whispers. Some runs are eulogies and others celebrations. When you're angry, a run can be a sharp slap in the face. When happy, a run is your song". This week we go running towards hope and motivation whatever your level of fitness with inspirational runners fr...

"It is never too late to be what you might have been" so wrote the Victorian author George Elliot. Having searched the globe for the best stories in sport we have found four people that might just force you to redefine what it is you think can still achieve in life! First to Texas and the remarkable story of Mike Flynt. One so extraordinary that seems like the plot to a Hollywood movie, which is w...

It's amazing how many people are involved in anyone sporting endeavour... Of course the athletes are the stars of the show, but then there's coaches, physiotherapist and umpires. And beyond them there are cameramen, hot dog sellers and security staff. This week we spend some time with some of those people we don't think of as crucial to our enjoyment of sport, but without them we'd really miss the...

Sometimes the daily grind can feel like climbing the sheer face of a mountain, and all that's keeping you hanging are the very tips of your fingers. This week, four inspirational female athletes tell us their secret to what has made the difference between clinging on and fulfilling their dreams and giving up and falling down. A couple of months ago Sasha DiGiulian attempted the latest in a long li...

Risk and fear are bed fellows. It's difficult not to feel some fear when you are taking a risk... But as some people are fond of saying "The biggest risk is not taking any risk at all". So how do we best assess risk and control our fears to perform at our very best? We have lined up four amazing guests who have spent their entire lives actively putting in to practice the philosophies and theories...

When we see our sporting heroes it's often in highly pressurised situations... and yet the look calm, controlled and steely eyed... but what we see on the surface often belies the hard work, dedication and hidden struggles. It's called the "swan effect". All poise and grace on top, whilst paddling furiously underneath. This week the remarkable stories of athletes who take control despite the strug...

Growing up, Katrina Webb was crazy about sport. But aged eighteen she had a choice to make. Did she continue to hide her disability? Or embrace it and excel in disability sport. She chose the latter and just year later she would go to the Atlanta Paralympics and win two gold medals, embracing what made her different as a strength. Team GB skeleton racer, and Milan-Cortina gold medallist, Tabitha S...

The Seven Summits are considered one of the greatest challenges in mountaineering worldwide. It takes some effort to to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents. Imagine doing that as double above-knee amputate! Well that's the extraordinary achievement of Nepalese-British adventurer Hari Budha Magar who recently made history, again, by reaching the summit of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, t...

When Steve Bate received a life-changing diagnosis he knew there wasn’t much he could do about his condition, but he had total control over what happened next. Making every moment count and taking on his biggest challenges, Bate has gone on to solo climb El Capitan and became a multi-medal Paralympian cyclist for Team GB. Ramiro Mora Romero, a weightlifter who represented the Refugee Olympic Team...

Here on Not by the Playbook we know "communication is key". Making sure what we say is clear and concise is one of the crucial elements to an enjoyable show. And that's true of most areas of life, the better people communicate the better the outcome, even when the message is hard to hear or difficult to digest. This week, having travelled the world finding the most inspiring stories from the world...

Linda Ashmore, Ironman competitor and age-group world champion, shows us that qualifying for the world stage can come later in life. Team GB cyclist and bobsledder Victoria Williamson shares her journey from a devastating crash to redefining herself beyond elite sport, embracing a new path in health and fitness. Former Premier League footballer Jody Craddock reveals how he is building a second car...

Wrap up warm, because this week all our stories are about winter sports. We'll go cross-country skiing in Italy, play ice hockey on the equator and have a snowball fight in Finland! When Canadian cross-country skiers Beckie Scott and Sara Renner lined up for the Women's team sprint at 2006 Winter Olympics, they wouldn’t have anticipated help from a medal rival. But, after disaster struck, it was a...

Sometimes realising your dream can all be a bit much. Leonard Russell was drafter 14th overall when the Patriots signed him. The franchise was on the brink of a historic dynasty and Russell was right there, winning the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1991. But being at the top causes its own challenges. Leonard turned to illegal substances to deal with the pressures., and it didn't take long before it h...

February, the month of love, the one with the fewest days and the in the northern hemisphere the last month of winter, but what you might not have realised is that February might also be the most exciting month of the year. And we have the guests to prove it! February hosts two massive sporting events, the Winter Olympics in Italy and the Super Bowl in California. So wrap up warm as we head to the...

A record breaking NFL star, the woman who won bronze in only her third ever marathon and the swimmer who took on the drug cheats and won! This week all our guest have outstanding tales to tell, and they all come from the same US state! The great state of Wisconsin Even before his NFL career was over Joe Thomas had bought up land in his native Wisconsin ready for what came after football. Joe's ret...