Dr Siobhan Strike appears in Channel 4 documentary, Jonnie’s Blade Camp
- Friday, August 13, 2021
Dr Siobhan Strike, Deputy Head of the School of Life and Health Sciences, has featured in Jonnie’s Blade Camp on Channel 4, working alongside Paralympic Champion Jonnie Peacock to help five young amputees unleash their sporting potential.
The success of Team GB at the Paralympics in Rio 2016 led to the NHS now prescribing running blades – carbon fibre prosthetic limbs – to children. However, little training exists for them to learn to use their blades to truly reach their sporting potential. In the documentary, Jonnie Peacock and a team of experts come together to use state-of-the-art technology and expert coaching to help the five children develop their abilities in sports they love.
In the first episode they travel to the University of Roehampton’s specialist biomechanics lab, to consult with Dr Strike. Using our world-class motion capture technology, Dr Strike recorded and measured precisely how each child moved using their prosthetic blades. This allowed her to identify imbalances and weaknesses in their movement and provide tailored advice on how each child could develop their strength, balance and technique when running.
Roehampton’s second year BSc Sports and Exercise student, Louise Pitsialis, supported the production at Roehampton as part of her Work Based Learning module within her degree.
Filming was interrupted in March 2020, when the UK suddenly went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The show follows their training throughout lockdown, and then sees them reconnect once restrictions lifted, to train again with Jonnie Peacock, who continues to challenge the children to develop their confidence and strength.
You can view the episode here: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/jonnies-blade-camp
The second episode is due to air on August 17, 10pm.
The School of Life and Health Sciences offers outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Sports and Exercise, where our students conduct their own research in our state-of-the-art facilities. Find out more about our laboratories and degrees here.