There's no shortage of famous pro athletes at Camp Woodward.
When learning any new skill, we can all agree it's best to learn from someone with lots of experience. It's one thing to have your big sister teach you how to turn a cartwheel in the backyard, but having an Olympic gymnast teach you how to do it accelerates the learning curve. Places like Camp Woodward play host to a variety of different professional athletes who have made a name for themselves in gymnastics, BMX, snowboarding, parkour, skiing, and skateboarding.
Each year, a new batch of pros, Olympians, and special guests visit and train with kids to impart their experience to a new generation of athletes, while some famous faces are a full-time presence at Camp Woodward.
Below are some of the famous faces with skills to boot that have helped foster young athletes at Camp Woodward.
Shawn Johnson - Gymnastics, Olympic Gold Medalist
Mich Todorovic - Parkour Professional
Tyler Fernengel - Pro BMX Rider
Dave Bachinsky - Pro Skateboarder
JP Walker - Pro Snowboarder
Banks Gilberti - Pro Skier
Lauren Hernandez - Gymnastics, Olympic Gold Medalist
If given the choice to go back in time to the '90s and have Kerri Strug* teach me how to do a cartwheel rather than my sister, I think I would have had a future in the Olympics ... maybe. A girl can dream, okay?!
For now, I'll just look forward to the day when I can send my own kiddos off into the wild to learn from those who know what they're doing and who didn't give up on their dreams.
*For all you youngsters reading this, she defeated the Russian gymnastics team in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics ON ONE FOOT!
