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Mean streets to sporting elite: the finale

Arshay Cooper faced racism, poverty and gang violence to captain a pioneering black high school rowing team.

In the previous episode we heard how Arshay Cooper faced racism and gang rivalries to become captain of America's first ever black high school rowing team in 1990s Chicago. In this episode, we find out how Arshay and his crewmates fared in their biggest ever race. Victory would cement their place as a top team in the country and secure them a place in history - but can they pull it off? If you'd prefer to hear this story all in one go, search for the Outlook podcast.

Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist who makes sculptures of giant trolls out of recycled wood. He has built 63 trolls in different countries but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he decided to hide his sculptures in the Danish countryside and organise a nationwide treasure hunt for families who can't go on holiday abroad.

Kaoru Akagawa is a Japanese calligraphy master who was told she had terrible writing. She specialises in Kana Shodo, an ancient script often used by women.

Nina Kovacevic is the founder of fashion label War and Drobe. Nina's mum is Bosnian Muslim and her dad is Serbian. As a child she and her brother were smuggled out of Sarajevo, along with their grandparents. Eventually the whole family settled in the UK. Nina has used some of this family history and experiences in the clothes she designs and makes.

Presenter: Emily Webb

(Photo: Arshay Cooper and the team. Credit: RichardSchultz/50 Eggs Films)

Available now

41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 22 Jul 2020 11:06GMT
  • Wed 22 Jul 2020 17:06GMT
  • Thu 23 Jul 2020 02:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected