While beginning to skate at the age of twelve, considered by many to be late for an eventual competitive skater, her determination and drive earned Deann gold-medal standing by her late teens.

Deann was raised in Ballard, graduating from Ballard High School in 1957. She began her quest for the ice at the Seattle Figure Skating Club. By the time of graduation she was spending up to eight hours per day at the skating rink perfecting routines which would eventually lead her, as a National level competitor, to the 1958 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Minneapolis. The following year she traveled to Sun Valley, Idaho where she competed and earned a gold medal passing eight levels of testing in what was considered record time. That same year she also took the Northwest Senior Ladies’ championship title as well.

At the age of twenty, Deann made the decision to marry. While ending her career in competitive skating, she never lost her love of the ice and eventually launched a successful career in professional coaching. She was skating director, coach and manager in Denver; Sun Valley; Tri-Cities as well as Palm Springs where she directed for Ice Capades Chalet. Deann was successful in taking skaters to all levels of USFSA competition including Nationals as well as being rated a Master in the Professional Skaters Association Freestyle, Figures and Precision. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Ice Skating Institute, she served as a judge in the Gold Division of competition. Also to her credit is having given instruction to various Hollywood actors and more recently providing skating lessons to prospective young hockey players in the Denver area. In further recognition of her achievements, the Deann Beideck Olson trophy is awarded annually by the Skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs to the winner of the Northwest Pacific Juvenile Girls ice skating competition.

Deann’s early love of skating was born out of a true passion for the ice that transformed an early competitive career into that of an inspirational coach and mentor. She dedicated her life and her talents to teaching both adults and youth. Because of this, she has been described as a true “difference maker” to those who know her.