Maddison Pearman

Hobbies	Making sourdough bread, spending time with her cat, working on her family's farm. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Memorable sporting achievement	Competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Famous relatives	Her mother Shawna [nee Hicks] played softball for Canada and won gold at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. She also competed in speed skating at two editions of the Canada Winter Games in the 1970s and founded the Red Deer Central Lions Speed Skating Club. Maddison's two sisters, Tess and Brooke, competed in speed skating for the club before transitioning into coaching, while Tess has also competed in volleyball at collegiate level. Their father Myron has served as a coach and starting official in speed skating. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Nov 2022; olympic.ca, 01 Jan 2022; reddeeradvocate.com, 11 Aug 2021; lacombeonline.com, 31 Mar 2020)

Reason for choosing this sport

Her mother competed in the sport at an elite level, and her father has been involved in coaching and officiating speed skating. She was also inspired by watching family friend Jessica Gregg win a silver medal in short track at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. "Just seeing someone that I knew, that I was really close with was able to go and do it, made it that much more attainable."

Hero / Idol	Canadian speed skater Catriona Le May Doan. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)

Name of coach	Remmelt Eldering [national], NED; Shannon Rempel [national], CAN
Training Regime	She trains at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, AB, Canada.
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began speed skating at age five. Her formative club was the Red Deer Central Lions Speed Skating Club in Alberta, Canada.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"The will to win is important, but not as important as the will to prepare to win." (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Other information	OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE She did not get the results she hoped for at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "It was very overwhelming. I think that is by far the most word that I've used to describe everything in both good and obviously sometimes bad ways. You just get so insecure looking around at everyone there, thinking that everyone is going to be watching you. You're only here for three weeks. Try to enjoy the moment, smile and have just a good time because regardless of your results, people are going to be proud and those results don't define you. There were many times over the years that I thought about retiring [so] it was all very much a good experience and an opportunity to say, 'I am good enough to make it'." (rdnewsnow.com, 01 Mar 2022) FARM RAISED She was raised on her family's cattle farm, Monte Vista Farms, near Red Deer, AB, Canada. "We have about 600 head of cattle right now [2022] and a half section of land. My dad [Myron] also does custom silaging. Growing up on a farm, you learn that a lot of things, like the weather, are out of your control, and you need to figure out what to do to complete the task at hand. After the season ended last year [2021], the Olympic Oval [in Calgary] had a malfunction, and we didn't have ice for nine months. So, I went home, I worked on the farm, and I spent time with my family. It did wonders for my mental health and reignited my love for agriculture and that's what I want to do after I'm finished with skating." (Instagram profile, 23 Feb 2022; farms.com, 01 Feb 2022) OCCUPATION She has worked as a guest relations receptionist and supervisor at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, AB, Canada. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)

www.facebook.com/maddisonpearmanOLY
twitter.com/maddisonpearman

Club / Team

Red Deer Central Lions Speed Skating Club: Canada

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs	"I always put my right skate on first and also tie the right skate first." (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Most influential person in career	Her parents. (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)
Nicknames	Mad-Dawg, Mads (Athlete, 09 Feb 2023)