Inside the original Woodward, MTB Girls explores more than five decades of tradition, progression and the opportunity to create a new chapter for girls on bikes.
ENTERING A PLACE WITH A HISTORY
There is something different about arriving at a place that has spent more than five decades teaching young athletes how to push beyond what they thought they could do. Before you even get on a bike, Woodward Pennsylvania gives you the feeling that you are entering a piece of action sports history.
MTB Girls Magazine traveled to the original Woodward campus August 4 through 6 to explore its mountain bike program, tour the property, meet the people behind the experience and spend time with the girls who are already discovering their own paths into mountain biking. What began as a gymnastics camp has grown into a global action sports institution, and today mountain biking is becoming another part of that evolving legacy.
IT STARTED WITH A GYMNASTICS CAMP IN 1970
Woodward Pennsylvania was founded in 1970 as a gymnastics camp by Ed Isabelle, a Penn State gymnastics coach. The original property was a former dairy farm, and some of those historic buildings remain part of the campus today, creating a remarkable contrast between Woodward’s rural Pennsylvania roots and the world class action sports facilities that now surround them.
The camp eventually expanded into BMX, skateboarding and other action sports, transforming Woodward into a place known around the world for progression. The important part of that history is not simply the list of sports that came next, but the willingness to recognize where young athletes wanted to go and build an environment that could take them there.
That tradition is still visible today. Woodward continues to evolve, and mountain biking is now part of that story.
THE TOUR REVEALS THE WOODWARD PHILOSOPHY
Walking through Woodward is almost like walking through several generations of action sports at once. The campus combines indoor and outdoor training spaces, dirt, ramps, parks, creative spaces and traditional camp experiences in a way that makes the entire property feel like one giant playground built around progression.
The most striking thing is that the experience is not limited to one type of athlete. A camper can arrive passionate about gymnastics, skateboarding, BMX, mountain biking or another discipline and spend the week surrounded by people who understand what it means to want to get better at something.
That environment matters for girls because belonging often begins before a rider ever considers herself an athlete. It begins when she looks around and realizes there are other kids who are just as excited about what she is doing.
MEETING PHOEBE MILLS CONNECTED THE PAST TO THE PRESENT
One of the most meaningful parts of our visit was meeting Phoebe Mills. Her story represents one of the many bridges between Woodward’s original identity and the evolving action sports culture that exists there today.
Mills was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team and won a bronze medal on balance beam at the Seoul Olympic Games. Her connection to Woodward reaches back to the 1990s, when she worked with Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania and helped develop gymnastics based air awareness training for snowboarders and skiers before becoming part of Woodward’s leadership and programming.
That history made meeting her especially significant. Woodward began with gymnastics, Phoebe built an elite athletic career through gymnastics and eventually helped bring that knowledge into other sports, and today she remains part of the conversation about how Woodward can create meaningful experiences for the next generation.
It is difficult to find a better example of how Woodward’s tradition works. The sports change, the athletes change and the facilities change, but the underlying belief in progression remains.
THE WOODWARD WAY IS ABOUT MORE THAN WINNING
One of the things I kept noticing throughout the visit was that Woodward does not seem obsessed with creating professional athletes. The environment is designed to let kids explore their abilities, and that means a camper can be a beginner, an experienced rider or something in between and still find a place within the experience.
That philosophy is particularly important for girls. A young rider does not necessarily need to arrive knowing whether she wants to race cross country, ride downhill, pursue freeride or simply spend a week riding bikes with friends.
She needs the opportunity to discover what she loves.
THE GIRLS ARE ALREADY THERE
During our conversations, Hanna Doyle shared that Woodward Pennsylvania welcomes more than 300 campers during a typical week and that girls make up approximately 30 percent of the camper population. Skateboarding remains the largest program, but girls are already participating throughout the Woodward experience, creating a strong foundation for expanding mountain biking.
That changes the question.
The question is not whether girls belong at Woodward. They already do.
The question is how to create an experience within mountain biking that helps those girls find one another, develop confidence and understand that they have a place in the larger cycling community.
THE MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM ALREADY HAS A FOUNDATION
It is important to recognize that Woodward already has a mountain bike coaching structure. Hanna explained that campers receive an evaluation, are divided into coaching groups according to skill level and have progression cards that allow them to track milestones and goals.
That system reflects the broader Woodward philosophy. Riders are not simply thrown onto a bike and expected to figure everything out themselves; there is a structure designed to help them understand where they are and where they can go next.
The opportunity for MTB Girls is not to replace that foundation. It is to add another layer of connection around it, particularly for girls who may benefit from riding, learning and progressing alongside other girls.
THEN WE GOT ON THE TRAILS
The mountain bike terrain at Woodward is still developing compared with the long history of the property. During our visit, we experienced the available singletrack and gravity terrain, and the singletrack immediately stood out to me because it felt distinctly different from the enormous built action sports areas elsewhere on campus.
The riding was beautiful, but it also showed exactly why progression matters. Some of the gravity terrain was challenging for the girls, and there were moments when riders were understandably hesitant about certain features.
That hesitation is not a problem to eliminate. It is a starting point for good coaching, because confidence develops when riders are given the right challenge at the right moment and supported while they work through it.
THE TRAILS ARE ONLY THE BEGINNING
The trails we experienced were relatively new, and at the time of our conversation only a couple of miles of mountain bike terrain were available.
That makes the current moment particularly interesting. Woodward is not presenting mountain biking as a finished product; it is actively developing what the experience can become.
For a place built around progression, that feels fitting. The mountain bike program itself is progressing.
THE MOMENT THE GIRLS BECAME THE STORY
Two young riders who made a lasting impression on me were Ayla and Aubrey. I had hoped to spend more time riding with them, but Woodward is a busy place, and the girls had a full day of activities competing for their attention.
That experience actually reinforced something important about the camp. Mountain biking is one part of a much larger adventure, and kids have an enormous number of things competing for their attention, from the water slide to other sports and activities happening across campus. Hanna described it as an “attention economy,” and she was right.
What stayed with me was that the girls still wanted to ride with us. They wanted to be part of the story, and they wanted to connect around bikes.
That was enough to show me what could happen if there were a dedicated time and place for them to do exactly that.
WHEN GIRLS FEEL SEEN, SOMETHING CHANGES
During the visit, the girls also realized that MTB Girls Magazine was there specifically to interview them. The boys noticed that the girls were getting the magazine’s attention and were understandably curious about why they were not part of the interviews.
The girls, meanwhile, felt special.
That moment was small, but it was powerful. They understood that their experiences mattered enough to be documented and that their stories were worth telling.
That is the reason MTB Girls exists. Representation is not simply putting women and girls into photographs; it is showing young riders that their participation in the sport matters.
AUBREY’S WORLD GOT BIGGER
Aubrey’s experience particularly stayed with me because she did not know many other girls who mountain biked. Much of her connection to the sport had come through her dad, which is a familiar pathway into mountain biking for young girls.
I started showing her examples of girls her age riding around the country. We looked at young riders competing, jumping, racing, riding freeride and simply having fun on bikes, and I could see her understanding of the sport begin to expand.
She was discovering that mountain biking was much bigger than the riders she already knew. Suddenly there were girls everywhere doing things she may not have known were possible.
That is what representation can do. It gives a young rider permission to imagine herself somewhere she has never been.
EVERY GIRL. EVERY TYPE OF DIRT.
One of the strongest ideas to come out of our conversations was that a girls mountain bike program should not be built around a single discipline. Girls should have a pathway into every kind of mountain biking and the freedom to discover where they fit.
A girl might begin with cross country and later move into enduro. She might discover downhill, freeride or slopestyle, or she might decide that she loves building trails more than riding them, and another girl may never want to race at all.
The point is not to decide what kind of mountain biker she should become. The point is to show her how many possibilities exist and give her the skills, confidence and community to choose her own direction.
THE BASICS ARE WHERE EVERYTHING STARTS
Before a girl can confidently ride difficult terrain, she needs to understand her bike and her body. That means learning basic bike handling, body position, braking, balance, front wheel and rear wheel lifts, bunny hops and the fundamentals that become the building blocks for everything else.
In our conversation, we talked about creating a girls experience that starts with those basics and then progresses into skills and drills before moving into a group ride. The goal is to establish a foundation that allows riders to accelerate their progression from there.
That is how confidence is built. You learn the ABCs first, then you start writing your own story on the trail.
FEAR CAN BECOME FUEL
One of the coaching ideas I brought into the Woodward conversation is something I use with riders all the time: fear does not have to stop you. When you learn how to manage it, fear can become fuel.
The goal is to move a rider through the fear to fun continuum. Instead of allowing intimidation to become the final answer, we use it as information and then build the skills necessary to move forward.
That approach can be particularly powerful for girls who are new to mountain biking. Confidence does not appear because someone tells you to be confident; it develops because you experience yourself doing something that once scared you.
RIDING TOGETHER BUILDS BELONGING
Hanna understood the opportunity immediately when we talked about the girls riding together. Woodward already provides mountain bike instruction, but the girls focused experience could add something more intimate and community driven to the program.
There is a difference between riding alongside other campers and knowing that you have a group of girls who are there specifically to ride with you. That connection can turn a camp experience into something a rider looks forward to returning to year after year.
The goal is not to isolate girls from boys. It is to give girls an opportunity to find their people.
WOODWARD HAS ALREADY SEEN THE POWER OF WOMEN’S COMMUNITY
Woodward’s experience with women extends beyond mountain biking. Woodward partners with various groups in skateboarding, BMX, roller skate and more that create space and drive participation for women and girls.
That example matters because it demonstrates that the community piece can be powerful when the right people are given a reason to gather. The challenge is finding the format, timing and programming that makes sense for mountain biking and for the girls and women who would participate.
Mountain biking has an opportunity to build on that tradition.
THE CAMP EXPERIENCE MAKES IT DIFFERENT
What makes Woodward unique is that a girls mountain bike experience would not happen in isolation. The girls would be surrounded by the larger Woodward culture, with access to an iconic summer camp environment and the possibility of experiencing other parts of the campus.
Hanna pointed out that mountain bike campers can even take their bikes into other Woodward facilities, creating options when weather changes or when riders simply want to explore something different. That flexibility is part of what makes Woodward feel less like a conventional sports camp and more like an entire world of possibilities.
A girl could spend the day learning to ride and still have the rest of Woodward waiting for her.
THEN THERE IS THE CREATIVE SIDE
The Woodward experience also creates a natural connection between sport and storytelling. The campus has developed creative opportunities that allow young people to move beyond simply participating in an activity and begin documenting, creating and expressing themselves.
That opens an exciting possibility for girls mountain biking. Imagine a rider spending the morning learning skills, riding trails with a group of girls and then heading into the creative environment to make a video, photograph her friends or create a small zine about what she learned.
She is not just becoming a better rider. She is learning how to tell her own story.
MAKE THE GIRLS PART OF THE TRADITION
One of the ideas we discussed was creating a dedicated Woodward mountain bike identity for the girls. A jersey could become more than clothing; it could be a symbol that says these girls are part of the Woodward mountain bike community.
The concept immediately felt fun and meaningful. A Woodward and MTB Girls mountain bike jersey could give the girls something tangible to take home and something that connects them to the experience long after they leave Pennsylvania.
Tradition is often carried through objects, stories and memories. A jersey can become one of those things.
THE OPPORTUNITY IS BIGGER THAN ONE WEEK
Our conversations moved quickly from the experience we had in Pennsylvania to what could happen next. Hanna described the process of how Woodward collaborates with its sport leaders on girls programming and ways to create space for them while at camp, and how MTB Girls Magazine could help develop something similar for the mountain bike program. That is where this story becomes more than a review.
We did not arrive at Woodward with the idea that the girls mountain bike experience was finished and needed to be judged. We arrived curious about what existed, experienced it firsthand and left seeing an opportunity to help shape what comes next.
BUILDING A MODEL THAT CAN GROW
Pennsylvania is the original Woodward location, which makes it a natural place to begin. If a girls’ mountain bike experience can be developed there, tested, refined and made successful, the model could eventually be brought to other Woodward locations. Woodward Park City and Woodward Tahoe also offer summer camp mountain bike programs.
That possibility came up directly in our conversations. Pennsylvania could become the entry point, followed by other locations and mountain bike environments as the program develops.
The idea is not to copy and paste the exact same experience everywhere. It is to establish a strong foundation and then adapt it to the riders, terrain and communities at each location.
THE GIRL GANG IS NOT THE GOAL. BELONGING IS.
I used the phrase “girl gang” several times during our conversations because that is what it felt like the girls were looking for. But the deeper idea is belonging.
Girls want to know there will be someone else at the trail. They want someone to laugh with when they fall, someone to celebrate with when they land something new and someone who understands why they are excited about bikes.
That is not unique to girls. It is human.
But for girls entering a sport that can still feel overwhelmingly male in many communities, finding that sense of belonging can be transformative.
TRADITION MEANS MAKING ROOM FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Woodward’s history is not about preserving the past exactly as it was. It is about continuing to evolve while holding onto the values that made the place special in the first place.
Gymnastics came first in 1970. BMX expanded the vision. Skateboarding and other action sports transformed the culture, and mountain biking is now becoming another part of the Woodward story.
Now girls have an opportunity to help write the next chapter.
They do not need to become someone else to belong at Woodward. They simply need the opportunity to see themselves as part of what comes next.
WHAT I LEFT WOODWARD THINKING ABOUT
I came to Pennsylvania expecting to explore a mountain bike program. I left thinking about tradition, community and what happens when an institution with more than five decades of history decides to make room for another generation.
I kept thinking about Ayla and Aubrey. I kept thinking about the girls who may arrive at Woodward knowing only one other mountain biker, and how quickly their world can expand when they meet other girls and see what women are doing across the sport.
I kept thinking about Phoebe Mills and the connection between gymnastics, action sports and the Woodward philosophy of progression. And I kept thinking about the trails, because the mountain bike terrain itself is still evolving.
That may be the most fitting part of the entire story.
Woodward is still progressing.
So is girls mountain biking.
THE NEXT CHAPTER IS ALREADY HERE
The foundation is there. The coaching is there, the facilities are there, the tradition is there and, most importantly, the girls are already showing up.
The opportunity now is to connect them, give them a pathway through the sport and create an experience that makes them want to return. It is about teaching skills, building confidence, introducing role models, encouraging creativity and showing every girl that there is more than one way to belong in mountain biking.
For more than 50 years, Woodward has been a place where young athletes come to discover what is possible.
Now girls mountain biking has the opportunity to become part of that legacy.
The next chapter does not have to look like the last one. It simply needs to carry forward the tradition that started it all in 1970: give young people a place to try, a place to progress, a community that believes in them and the freedom to discover what they can become.
