An athlete from Ponoka is headed to the Beijing Olympics. 26-year-old Maddison Pearman will be competing in speed skating in long track for her first Olympics.  

The Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies begins on Friday, February 4th which according to Pearman’s Mother, Shawna will kick-off the beginning of a long-time dream for Maddison who has been skating for 22 years.

“I would say when she was about 15 or 16 was when she really got very competitive. When she made the Junior World team and then realized that her  long track was going to be her sport. Then she just really put her head down and had some goals and dreams. They’ve been there since she was a little girl,” explained Maddison’s mother, Shawna Pearman.

Her mom believes the Olympics became a goal for Maddison after the Pearman’s watched Edmonton Speed Skaters Jamie and Jessica Gregg compete in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Maddison watched Jessica Gregg earn her medal in the 3,000 metre relay in speed skating.

“We had close friends that were in the 2010 Olympics and we went there and we watched her win a medal and so I think that really kind of sparked her dream,” added Shawna.  

Photo of Maddison Pearson competing. Photo of Maddison Pearson competing. Photo courtesy of Shawna Pearson. 

As a speed skater herself, Shawna introduced Maddison and her two sisters to the sport when they were very young.

“All of our girls started when they were about five or six. I just got them into speed skating and I coached in the Red Deer Speed Skating Club for 20 years. It was something that I introduced them to, but they made the choice to continue skating because they all loved it,” said Shawna.

When Maddison turned 18-years-old she moved to Calgary to train professionally with a couple of different coaches as she improved in the sport. Last fall, she also competed internationally.

“Eleven months of the year they're on ice usually from July to March. Then, all summer May to July or August. They are dryland training with biking, weights, and doing various different training programs. She qualified for the World Cup team so she did skate in the fall World Cup in Europe, then in the States, and Canada which was her first competition at the world level. It was a great experience for her and she had personal best times,” explained Shawna.

Shawna believes her daughter’s success in the World Cup has left Maddison feeling confident about performing on an Olympic level. She says her goal is to be in the top fifteen in long track.

With the Olympics beginning in short time, Shawna says the family has a couple of late nights planned so that they can watch and cheer Maddison on. She skates on February 7th and 17th  

“As parents were extremely proud it's a great honour,” said Shawna “You got me emotional but we’re very, very proud of her. She's very determined and has trained extremely hard and it’s been a dream of hers,” said Shawna.