Woodward West Camp

This company has a horrible refund policy.
I registered my daughter for gymnastics camp on the Woodward website, under Tahoe. I did not receive a confirmation confirming the camp location. I did receive a link to view my statement, but that also did not confirm the camps location, nor was there any explanation of how to find the information.
Several weeks later, feeling uneasy, I called the Tahoe camp and was told that they do not have gymnastics camp at that location, nor were they able to help me find out where I had registered my daughter. So I called Woodward West. They confirmed she was registered there, but did not know if I could transfer her to Tahoe or not (I could not, because Tahoe does not have gymnastics camps, which they must have known). After several days of confusing emails back and forth with Darlene at Woodward West, in which she just some how could not grasp the situation, I was finally informed that I would not be entitled to a refund of my deposit.
Okay, well, when my my daughter is old enough to go away that far for camp, it will not be a Woodward camp.
Thanks for nothing.

This is an amazing experience and location for kids (and even adults). The place is beautiful and the staff is equally impressive. My only complaint, why didn’t Woodward exist when I was a kid? Of the fun I would have had. We also love staying at the lodge when there is availability and Sharron in the front office is extra helpful! WE LOVE IT!

My son has gone to Skate camp the last 2 years and LOVED it! He can’t wait to go back. The facility is top notch. My husband wanted to stay and go to camp with him (especially since he skates).
My son came home with a bunch of new tricks, wonderful friendships, and exhausted. Worth every penny. He was 9 the first year he attended. I was worried he was a little young and tried to volunteer to be camp mom, but they didn’t have an open spot. My son almost didn’t want to go since I wasn’t able to be there with him. But when he came home, he said he didn’t have time to miss us. He was having too much FUN!
I gave him a $ 100 to spend in his account. He mostly bought pizza and ice cream. But he also bought Create-​a-​Skate for $ 30. He spray painted his own board and loved it! He wants to go back next year & the next year…

My son has gone to camp here the past few years. I can’t even begin to explain how much he loves it. I just picked him up last week and he still is talking about how much fun he had. He goes the same week every year and is reunited with a group of kids that all go the same week.
The camp is amazing. It is huge and very well organized. I have always felt 100% comfortable leaving him. There are tons of things to do. It is 10 times more incredible than any summer camp that I went to growing up.
The town it is located in is adorable. I enjoy driving through it every time I go there to pick him up or drop him off.

We were so thrilled to send our daughter to Woodward West for cheer! Super high expectations of learning her next element for cheer, or at least working on it daily considering they were supposed to be tumbling over six hours a day. She was only assisted with the new elements a handful of times on the last few days. We also were under the impression she would be working on stunting. Not once! She is a flier and we were hoping she’d gain some more experience there. She didn’t even get placed in a tumbling group with her teammates.
She said the food was terrible, and she is not a picky eater.
She bought a water bottle from the gift shop which leaked and ruined her phone.
As disappointed as I was to hear that she didn’t work on any of the things she had gone there to work on, I wish she would have at least come home with a smile and said it was a wonderful experience. Nope. She said she’d never go back. BTW she is 10 years old.

We watched the shows, we watched the videos. But nothing compares to showing up in person and walking the grounds of the camp. I was blown away with the quality and the amount of all features in the camp. The staff was super friendly, helpful and down rite good people. It was our 10yr old sons first time sleeping away from family. His first two nights were tough. But day 3 was the game changer. He made some buddy’s and really learned to flow in the dirt sections. He races Bmx and needed help with his jumps and manuals. Mission accomplished and he well on his way to excelling in his sport. He wants to return again to spend time at the camp. I definitely noticed a touch of independence in his character. Thank you Woodward for having a place like this for the kids. Wish this was around when I was a kid. Shoot I may try to get my self some time to ride next time.

Wow. I didn’t realize how fast camps fill up! I put off signing up until today, and when I went online to take care of it, the week that all my daughter’s friends were going was all filled up. Full on panic!!! I called their number hoping to get on a waiting list. I spoke with Darlene who then got me in touch with Deb, the gymnastics camp director. There were two extra beds, and thankfully they were able to get my daughter in one! I am so thankful for the quick turnaround from Deb and Darlene. You guys are AWESOME!

We were here for a scooter competition.
One thing to remember is that parents/​guardians need to sign a release form ahead of time and have a notary public verify the identity and stamp it. It’s too easy to travel hundreds of miles only to realize that your rider cannot ride because his parents are at home.
We knew about this ahead of time, as he’d already been to Woodward Tahoe but it’s a lesson that too many have learned the hard way.
In any case, as we wound our way up to the facility, taking in some awesome scenery, we found a small-​ish parking lot that didn’t seem big enough for a competition. Apparently, everyone fit.
Registration was held about 50 feet from the building entrance, just off Stallion Springs Road. Richie Velasquez was extremely helpful over the phone and in person.
They also had a couple of scooter vendors set up, just in case you needed some parts, and of course, there is a company store further back, near the restrooms. Yes, they only have one set of restrooms. Like the parking lot, they could be inadequate.
As I was helping with photography, I paid for the $ 35 admission as a trade. This gave me full access to parts of the indoor skate park, which was extremely useful.
The event was organized well and there really wasn’t much nonsense from the riders or the parents or team managers.
The indoor skate park was well-​maintained and enjoyable to everyone riding, which was quite obvious. Hopefully, we’ll be back for other events.

Refund Policy…
BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! Last year I made a reservation for my son in February paid 300.00 deposit, for a camp in July… A week after I made the reservation realized he could not attend, so I called up to cancel and they would not refund me my 300.00. They said that they spent a lot of money in preparation for his stay already and it was company policy they would NOT refund me anything… I HATE BEING LIED TO… So I called up AMEX and they canceled the charge!
Thanks AMEX!

My son signed up for the video/​editing camp. They didn’t show him how to use our camera. They only shot with gopro. He didn’t edit anything nor bring home a video of any kind. None of his footage made any videos that they supposedly worked on. He says he mostly rode a scooter all day every day. Sounds like there is no structure for the kids and no goals to accomplish anything or create any sort of final product. This was a huge waste of money and time. I could have bought 5 gopro’s instead, or one gopro, a laptop and software and had him learn for free on youtube.

Kid heaven! My 8 an 10 year old attended gymnastics camp in july. The gym was big, they had several skate parks and activities for the kids. My girls loved it, they did plenty of gymnastics at least three hours a day. You can also apply for scholarships to help cut costs of camp which we did. Friendly staff. Bowling alley, video games, archery, mechanical bull, snack bar. You can also send your children with anacks and drinks to keep in their cabin. Such an awesome camp, I wish I could of stayed!!!

My son is a skateboarder. He went 2013 at age 10 and had a blast. Learned a lot.
Came back this summer for week 7 and is back for week 8. He took 5 friends. Lots to do. Skate, bike or scooter and you need this experience. Lots of motivated instructors who encourage, not discourage. Like school or any other camp the kids will bitch about the food. I’ve seen the menu and it looks good. Bring money for snacks. Energy drinks are for the older kids .
Cabins are used hard but are cool and sufficient.
The overall experience is well worth the expense .
Go Woodward!

I was very disappointed with this company! When I notified them 3 months ago that my daughter was injured and per the dr orders that she couldn’t tumble, I asked for my $ 300 deposit. They not only denighed me a my refund, I even asked to roll it over to a friends account. They wouldn’t work work with us, even with a Dr note! I’m completely unhappy and disgusted with these types of people! I would think again if you wanted to do business with people like this.

This camp looks great on paper. However unlike most family ran camps where the owners are sympathetic towards their campers needs and care most about whether the campers have a good time, Darlene Olsen, the office manager and sole decision maker appears to be more concerned with making money than anything else. Building reputation and good will are obviously of no concern to her.
We registered our daughter in April for camp over the summer. Shortly after registering our daughter broke her arm which required a three hour surgery and up to 6 months of rehab rendering her unable to participate in camp. We immediately contacted the camp to let them know on April 22, still within the same month that their cancellation policy expires (expired April 1). We have a letter from her surgeon telling us she can not perform gymnastics until after rehab.
We were shocked to find that Darlene still would not refund our registration deposit in full stating that they had to order food and staff the camp already in ways that could not be changed (4 months in advance). This is complete corporate red tape and their is no way they could not adjust their needs accordingly without cost. In talking to her she stuck by her corporate guns before eventually cutting me off saying I was not being reasonable to request an exception to their stated policy.
To anyone considering this camp for gymnastics I would do a round off back hand spring in the opposite direction and save your money for those that really care about you and your kids.
Stephen P

I have read the reviews and I understand the concerns that a lot of parents have, but it IS camp… it IS summer, the kids are supposed to have a little free time and fun.
My son started to attend Woodward train-​aways when he was 5. He went to his first summer week ALONE when he was 6, he was one of their youngest campers EVER. He is a gymnast and spends 23+ hours in the gym regularly, so the 36 hours a week, YES, 36 HOURS a week they spend, very well trained and watched and well looked after in the gym at Woodward, wasn’t a problem for him. Although, I would understand that it would be a problem for most 6 year old’s.
My son didn’t like the food in the cafeteria… I LOVED it. The salad bar is wonderful, and there were MANY veggie options. The kitchen is very helpful with ALL food allergies, and gluten free options. In summer, the Burger Shack is open as well, and offers breakfast burritos in the morning, and burgers and hot-​dogs for lunch and dinner… so NO, your kids don’t HAVE to eat at the canteen… veggie dogs and veggie burgers are available as well I believe.
My son spent most of his free time in the pool because it was hot. They had a log rolling competition, jousting and all kinds of other things. Yes, he did run free like a little crazy Monkey, but he had to check in with his cabin dad, and the staff are very conscientious of the kids, and their hygiene. There are all kinds of activities including tie-​dye and crafts, and foam tag… the list goes on and on. There is even a «prom» at the end of the week. My son went with a 16 year old cheerleader… it was VERY cute.
I do not work for Woodward, but I know the staff personally, and I know that they do not condone children consuming caffeine… or sugar in mass quantities. It is unhealthy, and they REALLY care about these kids. This will be my sons’ 5^th time going to Woodward, and I have no qualms about letting him go to his «second home».
At some point, you have to let them be kids, and let them have fun while they are perfecting their sport, otherwise it isn’t any fun anymore.

Okay, now my daughter has actually been there and while I hold the position that they shouldn’t have soda and caffeine drinks at a camp for athletes, she had such a great time! It is a beautiful place, with fantastic equipment, tons of staff, tons of activities, oh yeah and gymnastics. Clearly if you want your daughter to have the gymnastics camp experience this is the place to send her!

everything you could ever want and more.

I sent my kid to camp for Gymnastics and felt overall it was a great experience. I would recommend this camp for kids in compulsory levels (1 – 6). They seem to focus on skills that they already know and allow them to «get» the ones they are working on. A nice bonus for the kids is having former Olympians visiting and coaching the kids.

My two daughters attended a week at Woodward gymnastics camp 2 years ago at a cost of over $ 1,600. They attended with 7 girls from their gymnastics teams. Several of the girls came home no longer wanting to be in the sport and within 2 years all of them had left gymnastics (This is a MUCH higher average than girls on their team who did NOT attend Woodward).
One of our girls fractured her arm at the camp, but the camp did not recognize it was fractured, continued to have her work out without treatment, and sent her home with a broken arm which eventually led to her having to leave the sport.
My younger daughter went to camp with a round-​off triple flip-​flop and came back with a phobia of going backwards. It got so bad that a year later she had to leave her team
My daughters thought the actual quality of coaching was good, and my older daughter did learn her giant on strap bar. The girls did 3 hours of gym before lunch and 3 hours after dinner. The rest of the day was UNSUPERVISED free time. Their counselor was only with them at meals and overnight. Their counselor was not a gymnast; she was a skateboarder.
My daughters have been to 7 different summer camps and are not picky eaters; they say Woodward has the worst meals of any of them. We sent them with $ 100 spending money each (they were supposed to buy some Woodward leotards and t-​shirts), but they spent about $ 120 on junk food. Be sure your daughter brings her grips as the Woodward store sells the worst grips ever.
Overall, if you need your kids at a sleep-​away camp for daycare, then send them. But if your family is serious about a sport, stay away from Woodward.

Awesome, awesome facilities for all extreme sports. We come here twice a year for intensive gymnastics training. The cabins are nice with great heating options, in fact most of the time we have to turn down the heater because t gets so warm. The gymn is amazing and has monitors available that replays the gymnasts moves for learning opportunities. If your coming for camp and you’re vegetarian, let the cook know and he’ll make vege food for you. The employees are awesome, and quite helpful. Depending on the season you go, it may snow so you have to come prepared with proper attire. They offer a variety of summer camps, so check out their website at
. :)