camp woodward skate park

With much nervousness and hesitation, I sent my 9 year old to her first sleepaway camp at Woodward last week. She does cheerleading. The second night she was there I got a call from her that she had gotten her roundoff back tuck....her goal for the week and they helped her get it in two days! She was so excited. I did talk to her a couple times during the week and she never seemed upset or bored like some others on here have said. She got tapped to come back for week 12 but by the time I got there to pick her up week 12 was wait listed, so she is doing tapped activities this week, week 11. I do agree that the tapped discount was underwhelming...$300 off $1000 is basically it. So you are paying $700 for the tapped week plus additional week worth of spending money. They do have a lot of things for purchase which makes the recommended $100 a week not very practical, at least for us. She signed up for horseback riding and there went $30. She ended up doing more like $150. Some of the stuff is overpriced. Ice cream cone for 4.25? Milkshake for $6? The merchandise in the gift shop is INSANE where price is concerned. Sweatshirt $44, spandex shorts and sports bra $28 each, woodward headband $16. Both myself and my daughters friends mom spent $200 in there. I saw a comment about the lack of supervision and only 2.5 hours of training with nothing to do for the rest. Ok, this is completely dependent on your child. Any child going to sleepaway camp needs to be responsible enough to do so. My daughter is mature for her age and I knew she could manage her own time and she did fine. Also, 1:30-4 is the mandatory gym time...there are additional gym sessions. If your child doesn't take advantage of that, whose fault is it? You shouldn't be sending a kid to sleepaway camp who can't manage his own schedule. Just because the lowest age is 7, doesn't mean all 7 year olds should go. I am so glad we sent her to Woodward. She made tons of new friends, achieved a goal she's had for weeks and weeks, and had a blast. We will be back next year!

This is a long review and it's a bit all over, but it's extremely detailed. This is for Camp Woodward in Woodward PA. I can only speak to what I saw and the gymnastics/cheer side of things. I cannot speak for the skate park as we were not involved with it. To start off, I was a camp mom there while my son was there for gymnastics. I was in charge of the minis, which was 18 7-9 year old girls, all by myself. There truly should be more then one cabin mom in with that many minis. The maxi's have 1 counselor, but most work at the camp too. They are hardly in the cabin. Half of them show up after the 10pm curfew because they have other duties. The minis (7-9) have to be in at 9pm and lights out by 9:30. The maxi's (10+) have to be in at 10pm and lights out by 11pm. As a camp mom, it is extremely hard to get 18 kids to sleep in a half hour. Really the mini's need to have lights out at 10pm. Most of the maxi stuff did not end until 10pm and the mini kids were sad because they could hear everything going on outside with the maxis. The cabin's themselves are nice size, however there is mold in most of them. It wouldn't be hard for the camp to replace some baseboards and fix the skylights so they don't leak. The bathrooms need a major overhaul. The bathrooms in the cabin are gross, however the bathrooms by the pool are even worse! The smell is sooo horrible that you don't even want to walk by. The kids all have chores to do every day. These chores include making the bed, making sure their cubby is cleaned, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the mirrors and cleaning the sinks. I'm all for having the kids make their bed and keep the cabin clean, but they should not be cleaning the bathrooms. Supposedly there is a group of maids, but I never once saw them in our cabin cleaning. As far as the kids go, they pretty much have freedom to do whatever. No one really knows where they are most of the time. I knew the kids had to be at mandatory from 1:30-4, outside of that I never knew where they were. Food is served 7:30-9:30am, 11-1pm and 4-6pm. Outside of that the kids have to buy their food, and trust me when I say it's overpriced. A chai latte is $5 (more then starbucks!). The food served in the cafeteria is subpar. Employees there seem to not care. Most are volunteers that get to use the facilities in exchange for work. The lifeguards never seem to watch the kids. They are on their phone, talking or walking around instead of sitting and keeping an eye on them. There was an issue one night at the pool and the director seem to blame the parents over addressing the real issue with the lifeguard. The other activities for the kids are hardly open. The ropes course is only open 6:30-8pm and that's ONLY if you have taken the training. Unfortunately the training fills up fast. If you do actually get trained and go to the 6:30 open ropes course, good luck....there's typically so many kids down there that you won't get a chance to go. The Go-Karts cost $6 a piece. Those are only open in the evening too and they let the kids go for like 15mins, so it takes a long time to get on. The horseback riding is $30 and it's for an hour. They do NO training on the horses. My 7 year old has never rode a horse and they put him on and just started on the trail. This is a huge animal that could severely hurt him if something goes wrong. I expected there to be at least a little bit of training before he went out. The rock wall is hardly open. And when it is, the employees don't want to be there, so they take FOREVER to get the kids harnessed and get them up. Then when the kids come back down, they are annoyed if they want to go up again. Pick your kids up at 9am Saturday. Don't let them stay until Sunday and don't let them hang out Saturday. There is NOTHING for them to do. They say there is open gym, however no one was there to coach them so they couldn't go out. All the are closed for the entire weekend and there's hardly any food available for them. As for volunteering goes for parents:Cabin Parents - You're required to go Saturday-Sunday. They make you stay Saturday night the next week, even though there is nothing for you to do. If you leave Saturday they put you on the DNR list. They work you to the ground and they treat you like dirt. If you are a mini parent, you don't have to do cabin inspections, however if you are in the maxi cabins you have to go inspect cabins every morning. As a cabin parent, you are expected to decorate and make kid name tags. They do not supply you with anything. It's on you to bring it all. Also at the end of the week, you are expected to clean the cabin from top/down, including cleaning the shower/toilet. Canteen Parents - Be ready to work 35-40 hours. They work you to the ground!!! They are extremely disrespectful in the canteen to you. You are also sleeping in the cabins with the kids or you are put in the basement at the lodge (which has no shower). Nurses - Yes, you get your child 100% paid for, however get ready to work 20 hour days. You get 1 day off the entire week. The nurses are open 24hrs a day so you will get kids even in the middle of the night. Drivers - You may be super busy Sat/Sun running to the airport from 3am-10pm. During the week your job is to inspect cabins and run people to the hospital. The problem is, you may be running a kid to the hospital at all hours. Woodward sends NO representative with you, so you are the one with the kid and helping to make decisions. To me this seems like a huge liability for Woodward. You would think they would have someone ready to go at all times with these kids. You also are sleeping with the kids or are put in the basement of the lodge (no showers).Phone Reception - If you are ATT you are in luck! Verizon is hit or miss. Anyone else you'll never get a txt or call. If you have anyone besides ATT send your kid with a prepaid ATT phone so they can get in touch with you. Also, there is no wifi, so if your kids have an ipad/itouch that they normally txt you with, they won't be able to do it. TAPPED - This year, if your kid was tapped, they got $300 discount on week 11/12. It seems the tap program has gone down hill. It use to be a free week, then last year it was 50% off and now it's only $300. Overall I don't think the camp is worth the price we paid. To see how many employees are solely volunteers and to see how much they make each week, I expect a little TLC to be done. Don't get me wrong, my son had a BLAST, but for the price, it's eh...

It's a very busy place. I like that my daughter's cabin was very close to why she was there, gymnastics. Yes, it's not structured to be strictly whatever sport you are going for. They have open gym which my daughter took the opportunity to work more. It's your child's choice and mine chose to be in the gym because she wants to learn and become better. My daughter had a great time, she learned and worked on her skills, met Olympians, had fun with the other activities and had some down time to relax (which was much needed). If they did stuff for hours straight they wouldn't be able to move because they would be sore, rest breaks our needed to allow the body to rest. She can't wait to go back next year.

I really wanted to like this camp, and sent my daughter to cheer camp, despite reading troubling comments. Unfortunately, the criticisms are true. There is a disturbing lack of supervision for these kids. Many spend most hours of the day wandering with nothing to do or sitting in their cabins. There is two and a half hours of instruction, other than that they are completely on their own. No organized activities, no supervision. The all in cost for this camp was over $1,500 for five days of mediocre tumbling practice in groups that are too large for any real personal attention. Overall it is a bad summer camp combined with a mediocre cheer camp. My daughter and her friends are there currently on day 4, very underwhelmed and ready to come home. Such a disappointing experience.

My son just came home from camp very disturbed about vandalism, harrassment and stealing. He said it went on all week and the directors and camp counselors were totally negligent. He said they did very little except talk to the boys in his cabin two times. As a family we have appreciated the potential of what this camp has to offer. It appears that this camp has no effective policy or skilled staff to address behavioral problems. As a result, my son described quite a group of his cabin buddies who ended their camp week worried angry and disturbed by what went on in their cabin.

My daughter and I love to travel. We've been some amazing places and Woodward is one of our very favorite places! Don't let these negative reviews influence you! They are nuts! It is safe and well staffed. My little girl has gone there 9 times and never missed a meal. She's been going alone since she was 6. If your teenager can't find the cafeteria, perphaps check your kid. It's staffed with coaches at every piece of euipment, three RN's, 5 certified athletic trainers and numerous others. If "scooter mom" isn't educated enough to pass out bandaids and motrin, maybe try another career. Needless to say my little gym rat can't wait to return to Woodward!

Not sure where amith1 was but my experience working at Camp Woodward (three years and going back for more) has been nothing but positive. The medical department is top notch and there are procedures in place to make certain kids get their meds when they need them. If parents specify at check in that the meds are necessary, i.e. the "seizure meds" she spoke of the kids are put on a list and if those kids don't show up at med time the counselors are sent out to look for them so miss amith1 is COMPLETELY WRONG when she says kids go without important prescription meds. Meals are typical summer camp food. Face it, it's not a 5-star resort. Also, regarding missing meal times - maybe your child should be taught some responsibility and not rely on being told when he has to be at meal time. Is he able to read a watch?? I'd take her review with a grain of salt...seeing her other reviews on this site I've come to the conclusion that she's just hard to please

My son and I spent a week there, him as a scooter rider, me as a nurse. If you have kids who need medications, this is an unsafe situation as it is not done legally. It was only because I recognized some medications as seizure meds that they were given, otherwise if your kid doesn't show up for pills, he/she doesn't get them. It would be a good deal to barter nursing services for a week of camp if you didn't risk losing your nursing license to do it. As for my son, he missed many meals because they do not announce them and there are no clocks. The meals are marginal at best. No oversight, the counselors who were there were somewhat scary. The guy running the place is simply rude, and has no business being around kids. The counselors are extremely overworked and exhausted. by day 3 my son was dehydrated, exhausted and looked like he was going to fall over. Red bull was handed out for free to kids, as well as them being able to buy it. As wonderful as the skatepark is, it's just a bad situation.

I was looking at these reviews, and some of them just pissed my off. This camp is, without a doubt, the most fun place any type of skater or bmxer could ever be. Yes, if you have an overly sensitive kid who is horrible at skateboarding. They're not gonna have a good time. Theres so much freedom here and that's what makes it great. I was kind of scared before my first time after reading some of these reviews. After I was done my week at the camp I realized they were complete bull#%I&. Don't listen to them. Do EVERYTHING you possibly can to come here if you're at least decent at skateboarding / bmxing. Trust me, it is worth every penny.

camp woodward does have an amazing facility. seemed like a great place to send our son for gymnastics. I asked lots of questions and discussed structure of camp w/ lady in the main office. seemed like there was good instruction and good supervision. WAS I WRONG! I am horrified that I actually let my 10yr old stay at a camp with so little supervision. even as I dropped him off I had a very uneasy, uncomfortable feeling about his counselor. other than mandatory gymnastics sessions, the rest of the day was at "his will". I don't think anyone knew where he was all day and was hoping to see him show up for the 11pm lights out. he even missed dinner the first night because he didn't know it was time to eat. no clocks anywhere. no announcements, no one making sure he was where he needed to be. he said gymnastics coaches gave lots of good corrections, but felt there wasn't as much spotting as he gets in his home gym. he did spend many days attending the extra sessions. also, I was told go carts had a height req. of 48". he was so excited to do them only to find it was 54". he spent his time away from the gym just walking around by himself watching kids in the skate/bike parks. while driving home, and asking him what he spent $70 on for the week, I came to learn he ate lots of candy bars, soda, and even purchased a red bull---yes! red bull---- because a boy in his cabin asked for one but ran out of money. WHO SELLS A 10yr OLD A RED BULL?????!!!!!! I also found out (since his gymnastics cabin had boys 10-15yrs old, some kids had iphone/pads and were watching American pie. hmmm. where is the counselor for all of this????

My son has attended Woodward for a few years now and just loves it. The facilities for skaters are amazing, and it's a great place for the kids to have a community of their own (especially when skaters in some communities are often looked down upon). The only complaint I have (mentioned by someone else), is that the dinner time of 4-6 p.m. is way too early. At the end of camp, my son complains about trying to get to the cafeteria in time, only to find it closed. Especially troubling is that he's a vegetarian who has a tough time finding things to eat, and he loses weight everytime he attends Woodward because he can't get enough at the snack bar (which is also expensive). It's frustrating to get calls for more money for food when we've already paid out a large sum for camp tuition, in which 3 meals are included but rarely eaten due to the hours served.

Loved the Easy Walk in and around the Cave. "Cold" is the word though!! At 48 degrees you will need a light jacket.

This is the second summer that my son has flown from Texas to Pennsylvania to attend this BMX camp. This year, I took him out there and was completely impressed with the ease of getting him signed in and to his cabin. The views of the mountains and trees are beautiful and the parks for skating or bmx are incredible. This facility is top notch and the instructors are great!

WOW! this camp was amazing, i just got back today and as soon as i left i started to cry. I didn't want to leave. its amazing how much the staff cares. they are soo nice and they truly want you to succeed. the tips they give you here are better than your home gym because you have new eyes to see your moves and skills, so you get a different point of view, and somehow here, it just clicks. When you come to Woodward you will be amazed by how clean it is. the bathrooms and dorms are all well put together and cleaned regularly. i was impressed. As a 15 year old girl, i love having free time if i wanted it. i had mandatory gymnastics in the morning and then 2 open gyms available to me in the afternoon. if i wanted i could chill, and get some frozen yogurt or chill at Moondoes (coffee shop) or even go horseback riding or i could get up to 7 hours of practice a day. the staff is truly dedicated and know how to have fun. Every night there is something to do, a dance, a party, a talent show and everyday there's a pool party! i meant so many new people that are now some of my best friends that i hope to come next year with, it is amazing where people come from to come here to train with the best of the best. if you are thinking about coming here or bringing your child here, and are concerned about the money, let me just say its is worth it, your child will have so much fun, come back with awesome new skills, and are being well taken care of. if their sick, there's an infirmary with caring expert people. there's also a trainer for sports injuries too. There is nothing this camp doesn't have. It is worth your wild and is the best thing ever. paintball, horses, swimming, ropes course, go-pro, the canteen with Leos, food and clothing, and even things like tooth brushes and pillows encase your forgot them, its all here at Woodward. you will not be let down, thats a promise!

Camp Woodward was everything my son dreamed it would be. He is 13 and rates the week he spent at Woodward this summer as the highlight of his young life. I have read some of the posts and will speak to some of the comments. Instruction was provided every day from 9am to noon for all campers who CHOSE to show up for it. Right after breakfast until lunch break. The instructors were all very qualified, excellent riders in their field. My son attended this everyday and was given one on one help with whatever trick he told the instructor he wanted to focus on. After lunch he was allowed to spend the rest of the day practicing what he had been shown, riding in whatever facility he wanted or trying some of the other non-bmx biking choices that Woodward offers (ex: pool, horseback riding, rope course, etc.). My son did not do anything except BMX biking because he loves it and he knew he only had 1 week to make use of the EXCELLENT facilities at Woodward and wanted to use every minute BMXing. He raved about the food quality, quantities (unlimited) and choices. He is a big eater and has been at some camps where he has been starving so this was a big plus in his books. He had nothing but great things to say about this camp and has done nothing but talk about and plan for next summer and his return to Woodward, this time with a friend joining him for the long journey from NS, Canada. As far as people stealing, this is no different than any camp, they say not to bring valuables or electronic devices, so don't! My son mentioned there were 2 campers in his cabin who never left the cabin except to eat and just stayed in their bunks playing video games. Obviously this camp is for kids who are into the listed sports. You will get out of this camp what you put into it. If you love BMX biking or skateboarding, this camp simply can not be beat. I will end this review quoting my son - "Woodward is SICK"!