2025 Hall of Fame Induction Announcement
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US Speedskating
Alysha Rummler
Communications Manager
arummler@usspeedskating.org
Friday, April 4, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2025 Hall of Fame Induction Announcement
The Hall of Fame Induction takes place May 30, 2025, in Holladay, Utah
HOLLADAY, Utah – On May 30, 2025, US Speedskating (USS) will hold their annual Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony for contributions, efforts and performances within speed skating. This year's inductees are Olympic Speed Skater Nick Pearson and Contributor to the Sport Jeffrey Golz. The ceremony takes place at the Cottonwood Country Club in Holladay, Utah.
Nick Pearson is a two-time Olympian, 10-time World Championships Team Member, and participated in 137 World Cup Race starts over 14 years of skating.
Nick started speed skating at five years old when his parents took him and his sister, Erica, to the Wisconsin Olympic Rink in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nick’s father grew up skating on frozen, flooded baseball fields and ponds in West Allis, Wisconsin. He instilled a passion for skating in his son and young Nick quickly gravitated to the sport. Whether it was driving Nick and his sister all over the Midwest to competitions or just providing moral support, Nick credits a majority of his success to his parents, who were his number one fans.
In 1998, just before the Olympic Trials for the Nagano Games, Nick was diagnosed with mononucleosis. He was unsuccessful at qualifying, and his Olympic dream was postponed for four years. In 2002, a healthy and determined Nick made the U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the Salt Lake Games placing sixth in both the 1500m and 1000m. Finishing just a few tenths of a second off the medal winning pace in both races. Nick was determined to return to the games stake his place on the podium. Nick made the needed adjustments and qualified for the 2010 Olympic team, where he finished 7th in the 1000m.
After hanging up his skates, the sport came calling again, but this time on the management side. Nick was hired as the Program Coordinator for USS in 2011 and quickly moved into the Program Director role in 2013. After working at US Speedskating for 6 years, Nick and his family moved back to the Midwest to be closer to family. The Midway Speedskating Club, based in Roseville, Minnesota came calling right away, where Nick has been employed as their Program Director for more than 5 years.
Nick Pearson says “I am grateful for all the opportunities that this amazing sport has given me. But more than all of the hard work and great performances, the friendships and comradery is what I value the most. I met my wife, fellow Olympian Annie (Driscoll) Pearson, in this sport, and most of my best friends are former speed skaters. The years training, traveling, and facing adversity as a team will never be forgotten. Those teammates are all a huge reason for my success.”
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Jeffrey Golz, who will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame as a Contributor to the Sport, grew up in a military family, living in multiple places including Germany, the Dakotas, California and ultimately ended up in Cleveland, Ohio. A wrestler who qualified as a first alternative for the 1980 Olympics, Jeffrey was a sports fanatic his whole life.
Jeffrey’s love for the sport started as a typical parent of the sport, driving his kids to and from multiple practices every week, spending late nights sharpening skates, traveling on the weekends, and tying skates in various heat boxes around the country. However, he quickly became much more involved and found a long-lasting love for the sport. He started to sharpen skates for other skaters in his club, Lakewood Speed Skating. He would say that sharpening skates was free therapy. He would bring home skates that belonged to the club, sharpen them, and loan them out to newcomers. He would even save old skates and blades, and loan those out as well, just so others could experience the sport that he found so much beauty in.
He continued to take on more responsibilities, helping move mats from local ice rinks in preparation for a large meet. He spent many late nights drilling holes in the ice to allow dots and lines to be placed. But he wanted to become more involved, so he became a starter, quickly progressing to starting local and national meets. He developed a passion for starting/officiating and had a dream to one day be a starter at the Olympics. He continued to rise through the ranks, as an official, and eventually became an international level official. He would spend his free time traveling around the world, starting internationally, and attending seminars.
His daughter, Rachel Maxwell, shares that, “being a starter was his pride and joy. He would often tell me “My job as an official is to make sure every skater has the best race they can, while staying safe and having fun.” He cared so much for every aspect of the sport, from the rinks, to the skaters, and to even the parents.”
She continues, “My father never made it to the Olympics, but I was lucky enough to spend time with him in March at the World Championships in Montreal. This was his Olympics, and his favorite trip of all. He talked about it often before his passing, and when he spoke of it, he had a big smile on his face, and a brightness to him. Within weeks following this meet, he died of an illness he had been fighting for quite some time, even while he was traveling, starting, and passing on his love for the sport. We miss him dearly and hope that his memory, love, and dedication to the sport can live on by being inducted to the Speed Skating Hall of Fame.”
The US Speedskating Hall of Fame Induction is in conjunction with the USS Annual Congress held May 29-31, 2024. Since its inception in 1960, the Speed Skating Hall of Fame has honored over 90 skaters for their excellence in athletic achievement in the sport of speed skating, and more than 60 contributors for their innovative contributions to the sport and dedication to the speed skating community.
Ticketing information on attending the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction can be found here.
MEDIA NOTE: Media interested in acquiring additional information should contact Alysha Rummler at arummler@usspeedskating.org or (801) 417-5374.
About US Speedskating
US Speedskating athletes have won 91 Olympic medals, making it one of the most successful sports in U.S. Olympic history. The organization sets the stage for success by providing support, from local clubs to Olympic teams, and nurtures an atmosphere that encourages growth in the speed skating community. USS is recognized as the governing body for the sport of speed skating in the United States and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, on Facebook and at www.usspeedskating.org.
