Highlights Include Back Flips, Foam Pits, Trampolines, Late Night Riding Sessions and Big Smiles
STALLION SPRINGS, Calif. -- Over 50 females converged this past weekend on the mecca of action sports, Woodward West Camp, the sister camp of the renowned Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania. Hosted by Op Girls Learn To Ride, the weekend-long event focused on getting females from different sports together. It was also an opportunity for younger girls to meet and learn with their idols.
A Who's Who of top pro female riders attended the weekend. Athletes who took part included skateboarders Cara-Beth Burnside, Jen O'Brien, Vanessa Torres, Amy Caron, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Lauren Perkins, Sasha LaRochelle, Amanda Kitt, Holly Lyons, Van Nguyen and Alex White; motocross riders Sarah Whitmore (the No. 1 WML rider), Alyssa Culley and Kaide Garrett; BMX riders Alice Jung and Arielle Martin (the second ranked NBL rider); and MTV's "Surf Girls" winner, Mary Osbourne.
As the girls began to arrive Friday evening, all they could say was how awesome it was to be at Woodward West. Normally the place is filled with 300 kids each week, skating and riding every obstacle. But this weekend, it was only for the girls - they had full reign over the entire camp. Everyone quickly dropped their bags at their cabins and ran off to ride in Hanger 18, a mammoth building which houses one of the biggest skateparks in the world, where everyone rode until almost midnight. Then it was off to bed to rest up for another big day.
Everyone was ready to have more fun Saturday morning. After a quick breakfast, the campers and pros were given a tour of Woodward West's six skateparks, vert ramps and dirt trails. Then it was time to break off into groups, as some campers went to the skatepark to improve their skills with the pros and others went with pro rider Ron Kimler to learn BMX. Surfer Mary Osbourne and the motocross pros, along with the campers, learned to skate and ride BMX for the first time. Soon everyone tried out the foam pits, as rider after rider rolled in and hit the massive launch ramp, shooting into the air. From the young campers to the top pros, everyone was doing incredible tricks into the pits.
