WISCONSIN (WFRV) – In Wisconsin, speed skating doesn’t just live on Olympic ice. It begins on frozen ponds, flooded baseball diamonds and in tight-knit communities across the state.
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For two-time Olympian and U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Famer Nick Pearson, the journey started with family.
“My dad was born and raised in West Allis. Back in those days, everyone who skated had speed skates,” Pearson said. “When my sister and I were young, my parents brought us to the rink in West Allis.”
Pearson quickly fell in love with the sport. He trained at what was then the Wisconsin Olympic Center in Milwaukee. As a young skater, he trained in the same facility as Olympic champions Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by successful speed skaters,” Pearson said. “So in the back of your mind you think, if I train hard enough, maybe I can make the Olympics.”
By age 13, Pearson had set his sights on making an Olympic team. But his path there was anything but easy.
The sacrifices came early. He left school early, skipped dances, and structured his days around sleep and nutrition.
“It’s a lot of sacrifice, especially in high school,” he said. “Everything you do is focused on speed skating.”
The commitment paid off. Pearson competed in the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games. He later returned to the Olympics in a different role, serving as a team leader for U.S. Speed Skating in 2014.
But Pearson says the sport gave him more than Olympic appearances. It gave him a family. He met his wife, Annie, also an Olympic speed skater, through the sport.
“It’s a small sport. It’s a family sport,” Pearson said. “Most people know everyone in one way or another.”
That tight-knit connection runs deep in Wisconsin. The state has produced generations of elite skaters, including 2026 gold medalist Jordan Stolz.
Stolz, a native of Kewaskum, has emerged as one of the sport’s brightest stars. Pearson says their paths have crossed often. It’s a reflection of how interconnected the speed skating world truly is.
“It’s one big team,” Pearson said. “That’s what makes it so special.”
Before the world titles and Olympic gold, Stolz was skating on local ice. In Green Bay, Shannon Holmes, an instructor at Cornerstone Community Center, remembers him practicing alongside her daughters.
“Jordan competed with my own kids and the kids I coach for years, right from the time he was about five years old,” Holmes said. “He used to come here and practice at Cornerstone on Friday nights.”
Jordan Stolz (Credit: AP)
For Pearson, stories like that are what define speed skating in Wisconsin. Long before the medals and international spotlight, champions are built in local rinks, surrounded by familiar faces and supportive families.
“You need that support from family and friends to have success,” Pearson said. “Every four years, the rest of the world gets to see what we get to see every day.”
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From West Allis to Kewaskum and Green Bay, no town in Wisconsin is too small to dream big or to chase a gold medal.
Pearson and Stolz are proof that with the right support, dedication and community behind you, those small-town dreams can reach the Olympic stage.
