We like to think of ourselves as a bit maverick here on Not by the Playbook. Nothing too outrageous, but we like to think outside of the box... and so we present to you a show dedicated to those athletes whose decision to think out side of the box has served them well. People who have gone against the grain, challenged the established thinking and come out on top

Olivia Reeves has literally done the heavy lifting in making her sport more accessible to those who want to try, but were too intimidated to do so. From her home in Chattanooga in the US state of Tennessee, she has been telling us about how she became Olympic weightlifting champion, on developing a winning mind set and becoming the first American to win Weightlifting gold in 24 years, and how her life has changed since.

Yana Daniels has taken the concept of out of the box thinking and made it real. No ideas or theories... Yana Daniels literally makes boxes! A top tier footballer and Belgium international she was hoping to play a part in the country's recent Women's Euro campaign, but sadly wasn't picked in the final squad. But that didn't stop Yana from being a really important part of the competition. In fact despite Belgium not making out of the group stages they were represented in the final and indeed every single game, through Yana! She explains all

When people hit a certain age some look back on what they have achieved and wonder if it's enough.. and what could the future hold? The stereotype is the man buying a fast car, or a leather jacket... Peter Wright went in a different direction. Aged 40 and over weight, Peter's "out of the box" moment saw him change his life completely. He got FIT and set off on achieving some of the world's most difficult feat's of athletic ability. He recently wrote about his adventures a book called "A Mid-Life Less Ordinary - From Ultramarathon Insanity to Rowing the Atlantic at Fifty" and told me about some of the "hairier" moments of the past 10 years or so!

Whilst most of our guests used their "out of the box thinking" for good, our next story shows sometime it's used for villainous reasons! Join us at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon in 1980. Men's champion Bill Rodgers was very much expected to be there first, and he was. What was much less anticipated was the presence of the unheard of Cuban runner Rosie Ruiz, who was duly crowned the women's winner. But all was not quite what it seemed.

Photo: Olivia Reeves of Team United States performs a clean and jerk during the Weightlifting Women's 71kg on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena (CREDIT: Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Katie Smith presents a show all about survival and Dutch triathlete Els Visser knows exactly what it takes to survive against the odds. In 2014, Visser was a medical student travelling in Indonesia when the boat she was on started to sink. She made the decision to swim eight hours to a deserted island where she was finally rescued by a passing boat the next day. This not only saved her life, but it also set her on a career path that she never once imagined would be possible. She shares her story and how surviving a shipwreck led to her becoming a successful triathlete.

Danny Rensch has helped change the way chess is played, but his own path to chess mastery is one of trauma, isolation and resilience to the point he says chess saved him. He shares how chess was his tormentor but also his mentor with this talent for the game taken advantage of when he was younger and growing up in what he describes as a cult. He now says chess has helped provide solace through how he’s now helping others enjoy the game.

Eric Murangwa Eugene explains how football saved his life during the Rwandan genocide. At the time, he was an 18-year-old goalkeeper for one of Rwanda’s top football clubs. He tells Jake Warren why his life was saved when gunmen recognised him as a footballer.

Not by the Playbook also catches up with Kate Hwang – a former Kansas City police officer injured in the line of duty – after her medal success at the World Para Athletics Championships.

Image: Els Visser of The Netherlands celebrates winning the pro women's race during IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg on August 5, 2018 in Maastricht, Netherlands. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for IRONMAN)

Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

On the weekend where the USA and Europe go head-to-head at golf's Ryder Cup, Not by the Playbook’s Katie Smith is bringing you inspirational sporting stories from both sides of the Atlantic.

Kate Hwang was living her dream in 2003 as a Kansas City police officer but then a routine traffic stop changed her life forever. She sustained a traumatic brain injury in the line of duty. She’s representing the USA at the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time and she tells her story ahead of competing in the women’s shot put and 100m in New Delhi.

Brooke Johnson has become the first woman to skateboard across the US. She recently completed the feat after skateboarding over 5,000 kilometres from California to Virginia Beach. She shares her 119-day journey and why she decided to do this in memory of her stepfather, Roger.

From one history-maker to another, Kumru Say is the first horse rider to compete for Turkey at a senior eventing championships. She had never evented until five years ago and her story is one of making sacrifices to pursue her dream having moved to Germany at the age of 14.

How did the Ryder Cup get its name? We hear the story of Samuel Ryder, the English businessman who the famous golf competition is named after, and how his influence led to its inception almost 100 years ago.

Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

A detailed view of the Ryder Cup trophy is seen in the press conference center on Thursday practice round prior to the Ryder Cup 2025 at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 25, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)

Between the Olympics of 1924 and 1948, art was competed for at the Games. Gold medals were awarded in painting, architecture and poetry. It was only removed from the Olympics because the artists were not amateur… but could art return to the Games? We hear from the man who this week has been recognised as the creator of the Olympism art genre. Known as the "Olympic Picasso" Roald Bradstock tells us first about his early life and successful athletic career, reaching two Olympic Games representing Team GB in the javelin. After he stopped throwing he picked up a paint brush and created a genre of art that has been recognised globally with his works being exhibited all over the world. He has been commissioned by the IOC to celebrate recent Games and he has a new exhibition opening this week… He tells us his story and his hope for a return of art to the Olympic Games  

David Voboro was drafted last in the 2008 NFL thus earning the title of  "Mr Irrelevant" but against the odds David's football career was a successful one. However what he has achieved since arguably outshines anything he achieved on the field. After retiring he set up a training center for members of the US armed forces and others who had limbs amputated. The resource has allowed many people to regain and retain their fitness and improved the quality of their lives in the process. He also discusses the difficulties NFL players face and the drugs they often uncontrollably take to keep playing and how he finally overcame his addiction to painkillers.

Earlier this year The PGA of America named Lewine Mair as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. She was the first woman to be awarded the honour and was the latest in a long line of firsts for a woman who has paved the way for women in the world of sports journalism, particularly golf. Away from the golf course Lewnie also wrote about the decline of her husband's health. Norman Mair, the former Scottish international rugby union and cricket player suffered with Alzheimer's and Lewnie chronicled the difficult journey they all went on before his passing in a book called Tapping Feet. She tells us about the experience including discovering the remarkable effect her piano playing had on lifting his mood. Lewine's book Tapping Feet: A Double-take on Care Homes and Dementia, is available from Amazon.

Photo: Roald Bradstock competes in the men's javelin during day six of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on July 4, 2008 in Eugene, Oregon. (CREDIT: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

River...Martin Strel is a swimming marvel. The Slovenian holds multiple world records, and his specialty is swimming the entire length of rivers... Amazon, Thames, Mississippi, Yangtze, Danube, you name it, he's swam it. Except the Nile! So why not?! Martin tells us about his amazing feats of swimming and why the Nile is not on his list of river results.

Deep...In 2000, Jill Heinerth was already a renowned diver, known for her exploits mapping vast underground cave networks in Florida. Filming for a National Geographic documentary brought a new and unprecedented challenge; a vast iceberg known as B-15 had broken away from an ice shelf in Antarctica, providing a unique chance to explore its networks of underground caves. Braving sub zero temperatures and the treachery of constantly shifting ice, Jill became the first person to ever enter one of these caves - a historic milestone in diving.

Mountain... Joshua Patterson is an ultra-marathon runner who later this month will attempt to become the first man to complete a marathon at over 6,000 metres altitude. Having successfully become the first person to run 76 marathons in the 76 cities in the UK...in 76 days he's pushing himself to the very edge of physical exertion. He tells us about what he fears the most about this latest challenge, and his motivation the passing of his godson Archie and raising money for www.babylossclub.com, charity Archie's parents have set-up.

High... The world’s best athletes are back in Tokyo this week for the World Athletics Championships. It’s a return to the city that hosted the delayed Olympics in 2021. But, the high jump competition will have to go a long way to compete with the drama of four years ago, when Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Bar-sham SHARED the gold medal; the first time that’s happened in athletics in over a hundred years. lions around the world… As you Gianmarco is a real character. Before Tokyo he was famous for turning up to competitions having shaved half his beard! That’s right one side of his face hairy, the other clean shaven. What made Gianmarco’s journey to gold even more remarkable was he’d missed the Rio Games due to injury. The cast he had worn on his his ankle, served as inspiration, accompanying him all around the world, including that night at the Olympic stadium

Photo: Record Breaking Swimmer Martin Strel Emerges From The River Thames In London To Launch A Film About His 3,375 Mile Swim Down The Amazon Entitled 'Big River Man. (CREDIT: John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)

Every Hollywood box office success needs a great title track, and that's certainly true of hit 1980's coming of age film St Elmo's Fire. Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Andie MacDowell and the rest of the "Brat Pack" all gave suitably good performances, but the most memorable part of the film was undoubtably the title track, St Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) It reached the top of the US billboard charts in September 1985 and represented singer songwriter John Parr's most successful track. Forty years later people are still singing the song, but most people don't know about the hidden and surprising inspiration behind the song. And it has nothing to do with the film!

We hear from both performer John Parr and the man who inspired the song, Canadian para athlete Rick Hansen.

Plus other remarkable "Men in Motion" including Olympic medalist Matt Richardson who has just broken the record to become the fastest man on a bike.

Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 - the biggest race in American motorsport. Guthrie, a former aerospace engineer, had faced opposition and scepticism from male drivers and some sections of the press.

Photo: A view of the Original Motion Picture title track of Columbia Pictures movie "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985. (Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

New Orleans is known as the party capital of the South, synonymous with warm welcomes, Mardi Gras, and all that Jazz. But in August 2005 that all changed, now when people think of New Orleans, they think of Hurricane Katrina. The Super Dome, where the Super Bowl will be played, was the city’s “shelter of last resort” in 2005. So, if you did not have the means of escaping, or had nowhere to go, you could find sanctuary at the Super Dome. What happened next at the Super Dome would define the misery, suffering and devastation the hurricane would cause. What happened there just over a year later symbolised the city’s resolution, recovery, and rebirth.

At the very heart of it would be Doug and Denise Thornton. Doug was, and still is, the manager of the Super Dome, through their eyes we will learn what it was like to be in the Super Dome when Katrina hit and how it was rebuilt. Denise created the Beacon of Hope Foundation and helped reinvigorate and regenerate neighborhoods many thought lost to the flooding.

As a photo journalist Ted Jackson has covered everything New Orleans had to throw at him. He’d also covered the devastating earthquakes in Mexico in 1985, but nothing prepared him for the devastation of his own city. He tells us about what he saw and the difficult decision to put his camera down

Photo: A woman screams for help during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Credit: Ted Jackson www.tedjacksonphoto.com)

Not by the Playbook is celebrating the start of the Women’s Rugby World Cup by hearing from two people who know what it’s like to compete on the global stage and the impact and legacy it can have.

Legacy is often talked about when it comes to tournaments like this and what impact the global exposure can have on future generations. This has been at the forefront of former French international Lénaïg Corson’s mind ever since she retired as a player. The World Cup bronze medallist from 2017 is now developing the next generation of players through the “Rugby Girl Academy” she founded, and she tells Katie Smith how carrying the Olympic torch last year was symbolic in handing over the baton once her playing career had ended.

One player who is hoping for success this year is England's Ellie Kildunne who says this tournament is “going to change rugby”. Last year’s World Rugby's Women's 15s Player of the Year wants to make sure she captures as many moments as she can. She explains why her camera was one of her must have items for this World Cup - and why she’s even bought a new one especially for the occasion.

Former Scottish pole vaulter Henrietta Paxton speaks to Sophia Hartley about how her life changed forever after a gym accident left her paralysed from the waist down. Henrietta had competed at two Commonwealth Games, but she slipped while doing a squat, causing a barbell to fall on top of her. She explains how she’s having to use all her tenacity and resilience to adapt to life.

We’re also finding out about the World Egg Throwing Championships from the president of the world federation, Andy Dunlop. What is egg throwing and what does it take to become world champion?

Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Image: Lenaig Corson of Barbarians passes the ball during the Killik Cup match between Barbarians Women and Springbok Women's XV at Twickenham Stadium on November 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Could there be a bigger contrast? As the richest soccer league in the world, the English Premier League, gets it new season underway we are on the streets of Oslo meeting the players of the Homeless World Cup and how they are using soccer to turn their lives around. David Duke is the chief executive and founder of Street Soccer Scotland, the charity which transforms lives through football. Fourteen years ago, he was sleeping rough and living in hostels when he saw an advertisement for Homeless World Cup. He was selected to represent his country and three years later, in 2007, he managed the Scottish team who lifted the trophy.

Have you, or your child got what it takes to be a Premier League footballer? The fact is that most players are recruited by the age or 8. So how can you spot who is going to make it to the top at such a young age? Chris Robinson knows, he spent twelve year as part of the recruitment team at Chelsea’s academy. He tells us what it's like trying to spot talent, the massive names he helped find, and some he rejected but that went on to become world class.

For Keith Salmon going to watch his beloved Liverpool is about more than just the game. For him it’s about friendship and community

In May 2012, Manchester City won their first Premier League title with a nail-biting injury time victory in the last game of the season. In a goal that made football history, Argentine striker Sergio Agüero rocketed the ball past the QPR keeper in the 94th minute. We hear from former Manchester City defender Micah Richards about his memories of the match.

Photo: A detailed view of the Premier League trophy, dressed in red ribbons, prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield on May 25, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (CREDIT: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

In 2001 Wojtek Czyz had just signed his first professional contract with the German football side Fortuna Köln. His career was set for take-off but in his very first season he suffered an injury which ultimately resulted in the amputation of his left leg. Determined to stay active Wojtek trained hard and became one of the leading lights of the Paralympic movement. He won seven track and field medals, including three golds at the Athens games of 2004. When his athletics career came to an end, the question like for so many was what next ? For Wojtek that was settling sail on a boat with cargo of prosthetic legs handing them out to anyone in need. His destination was New Zealand, where he was struck by the lack of support for para sport. So, by the time of the Paris Games in 2024 Wojtek had qualified to represent his new country in Badminton. Why? Well, to prove a point and change people's views on disability rights! Cheering from the stands was his good friend and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp no less.

In 1992, the Algerian runner, Hassiba Boulmerka, won gold in the women's 1500m at the Barcelona Olympics. Before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, her success had made her a political opponent for extremists. An imam had told her that running in shorts was anti-Islam. "My image didn't fit in at all with their ideology," is how she describes it. She was forced to do all her training abroad. She defied death threats from Islamist extremists to win one of the best women's middle-distance races of all time.

Laurence Fisher is a former world karate champion who hung up her black belt and medals years ago, but she is now using the sport to help women who are survivors of sexual and physical violence re-discover their self-respect and confidence. The karate lessons they attend are not about self-defence but re-appropriating their bodies after years of abuse. We went to one of the classes in the southern French city of Toulouse.

The perfectly manicured fairways of Augusta National - the home of golf's Masters - with its rolling greens and vibrant colours of the azaleas, is one of the perfect images of sport. Contrast that with poverty and struggle experienced by some residents of Sand Hill, just a long drive off the tee from the exclusive golf club. That's where Carl Jackson grew up, but he would go onto experience the highs of Augusta National, winning The Masters twice whilst caddying for Ben Crenshaw.

If you’re affected by any of the issues raised go to befrienders.org

Photo: Wojtek Czyz of Team New Zealand and Jürgen Klopp poses for a picture on day one of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games (CREDIT: Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)