Last year on a soggy September day a small gathering occurred near the arrivals gate at Terminal 5 Heathrow to welcome home our Paralympians. We were a disparate but colourful and at times noisy bunch with various flags, outfits, gifts and even instruments as the athletes and coaches filtered into the arrivals hall. It was a joyous occasion that marked the triumphant end to yet another successful Paralympics for Team GB as the athletes returned home for what is traditionally a time of rest and reflection before the next Paralympic cycle....
But one athlete, Stef Reid, fresh from competing in the long jump and the Channel 4 Tokyo Paralympic commentary box had barely touched British soil before she embarked on her next challenge; to learn how to ice skate and compete in Dancing on Ice.
For those that don't know, Dancing on Ice is a TV series on ITV where celebrities compete with each other with a professional ice dance partner to impress the celebrity judges and public voters.
Whilst secrecy still shielded the identity of the celebrity skaters, Proactive were busy working out how a prosthetic skating leg would work. The first prototype was a foot which fitted snugly into the skating boot and got Stef onto the ice for her first lesson with none other than Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean! A radical proposal then ensued from Stef; 'how about having a blade connected directly to the skating blade with no boot?'
The team at Proactive rose to the challenge and before long the next prototype emerged - a blade on a blade! As well as looking really cool in black carbon fibre to match her skating partner Andy's carbon fibre skating boots, it gave Stef a much better connection and 'feel' to her skating blade.
The technical development did not stop there. Reflective foil was laminated inside the carbon fibre socket to keep Stef's residual limb warm on the ice and an electric heated socket sock meant that Stef could stay cosy during long training sessions.
And the rest is history, some tweaks and strengthening followed by the occasional 'pedicure' repairs to keep it looking good. The black carbon fibre socket with the carbon blade with her black knee sleeve became Stef's trademark for the series of costumes and performances.
Once the skating leg was made and fitted the journey on the ice was incredible. Stef had skated in her youth before she became an amputee but not since. Stef is an athlete not a dancer. She had two new skills to learn in an extremely pressed timeframe. But as with everything that Stef does she applied 100% effort and commitment to learning these new skills, at first, with a coach and then with her dance partner Andy Buchanan...
From those first tentative steps onto the ice to their final skate off in the competition so much time, passion, hard work, bravery, falls and pain followed taking Stef to new levels of achievement than she ever thought possible.
Watch more of Stef and Andy in action:
Having made it through to week 8, being eliminated the week before the semi-finals was disappointing for Stef and Andy but they were a great partnership had such a fantastic time during the competition.
In Stef's words;
'I'm sad to go but I'm leaving with a very full heart!
This has been the most incredible adventure! Andy Buchanan I have loved every moment of skating with you. I am so proud of what we achieved and I loved every character we played and every story we told! You taught me to do things on the ice (and in the air!) no one thought was possible!
Thank you to all the celebs and pros! We probably wouldn't have crossed paths if not for this show, and I am so glad to have met all of you! It's the people around you that make the experience.
Thank you Proactive Prosthetics and Ossur for making me a leg to skate on. It wouldn't have been possible without you!
Thank you to the coaches and the medical team who kept us safe!'