A Ponoka born second-generation speed skater is getting ready to compete in her first World Cup event this weekend in Calgary.

24-year-old Maddison Pearman’s mother was a speed skater back in Winnipeg and founded the Red Deer Central Lions Speed Skating club when she moved to Alberta. It turned into a real family affair, when Maddison and her sisters joined shortly after and her father helped by coaching.

On skates since she was 5, it was in high school when Pearman realized she could go far in this unconventional winter sport.

“We did a lot of sports growing up, speed skating was always the big one. In grade 11 I made the Junior World Team to represent Canada at the Junior World Championships… after I made the team there I was like, ‘yes this is what I want to do, I’m good at this’. I made the Junior Worlds again in 2015, and then I moved down to Calgary and have been training since, been on the National Team these past couple of years… and it’s a unique sport, not a lot of people do it, and I think that’s one of the big things that drew me to it.”

Pearman recently got back from Milwaukee this past weekend, competing in her first international competition since 2015.

She picked up the gold in the team sprint, and silver in the team pursuit.

Gold medal after the Team Sprint at the 4Continents speed skating championships (from left to right - Noémie Fiset, Maddison Pearman, Brooklyn McDougall) - photo by Speed Skating Canada. Photo courtesy of Maddison Pearman.

Even though she didn't do as well in her individual races, she was thrilled to be back on the world speed skating stage.

“It was a great experience, the first time that I’ve had an international competition in a few years. Last time was on Poland in 2015 at the Junior World Championships, so it was so awesome to have that experience before having the World Cup in Calgary, getting that feeling back of what it’s like to race internationally and against other skaters from other countries”.

She's incredibly passionate about skating, with training being her main priority year-round.

“I’ve been full-time training since probably grade 11/12, so 8 years now. It’s a full-time job really, I mean I go to school and I’m also working but skating is my main priority right now and I’m hoping to make the Olympics in a few years, so, it’s a lot but that makes it worth it. I’m training 11 months of the year, basically 6 days a week, twice a day, give or take throughout the season, but in the summer it’s a lot of biking, a lot of weight training, we do skate a little bit but it’s a lot of off-ice stuff trying to build that muscle mass and get stronger off the ice so that when the ice does come in late summer, that’s when we start skating.”

Along with being a full-time Kinesiology student at the University of Calgary, she works part-time at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, and helps coach the Special Olympics speed skating group.

Pearman will be competing in her first World Cup event this weekend in Calgary where she’s hoping to crack the top five, which would be a huge step in her dream of competing for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.  

And clearly athleticism runs in her family, as her sister Tess Pearman was named the Red Deer College athlete of the Week for her stellar volleyball performance as their outside hitter.

Racing in the 1000m at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta at Canada Cup #2 on January 4, 2020 - photos by Dave Holland. Photo courtesy of Maddison Pearman.

Video courtesy of Olympic Oval Calgary.