Athletes from 50 states and more than 21 countries flocked to one of three high-intensity summer extravaganzas under the ownership of Camp Woodward.

The east campus of the camp is located in central Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes outside of State College. Woodward has been part of the action sports underground since the 1980s and grew to new heights at the turn of the century.

Gary Ream, camp director and 1976 Penn State graduate, began working at the 8-year-old Camp Woodward two years after college.

In the beginning, the camp was all cornfields and only had an attendance of 1,400 campers, Ream said. Currently, 10,000 campers attend throughout the summer.

At first, the camp housed only gymnastics, and even then, he said "we were thought of as stretching the envelope."

Today, Camp Woodward has expanded to include extreme sports such as BMX freestyle, skateboarding and in-line skating.

In a few years, the extreme side of camp might be even more revolutionary, Ream said.

"On this side, everything you build is endless," he said.

Aspiring athletes from across the country spend a week under the direction of professional athletes and coaches from across the country.

Collin Broomhead, a 15-year-old BMX rider from Illinois, is spending his first summer at the camp. He found out about Woodward from a magazine and convinced his parents to pay $845 for a week's stay.

The camp experience is worth the great expense because the professionals are devoted to helping younger athletes master their skills, Broomhead said.

"If you ask the pros to teach you something, they'll do it," he added.

Instructor Chris Edwards spends his summers at camp doing demonstrations and helping with instruction.

Edwards is known as the "godfather of inline skating" by all those involved in the extreme sport. He was the first skater to reach more than 10 feet in the air and do rotations up to 900 degrees, and he has patented different hand grabs that skaters use today, Edwards said.

Edwards trained fellow in-line skater, 10-year-old Mikey Benedetto, to rotate 540 degrees and become world-renowned. With help from professionals like Edwards, Benedetto will compete in the finals this year.

He said he is fully supported by his family, especially his mother, Erin, who loves the extreme atmosphere.

He often asks when she will buy a piece of land at Woodward so he can go to Penn State and live next door to Chris Edwards, Erin Benedetto said.

The extreme athletes are not the only newsmakers on the campgrounds. Ricky Harris, a camp employee for 18 years, has taught gymnastics at many college campuses across the nation, such as West Virginia University and Southwest Texas State University.

"I share the wealth; I share the love of coaching all over," Harris said.

Harris said he loves working at Woodward.

"For three months, they take care of you. It's like college with no homework," he added.

The camp also offers somewhat of a competitive atmosphere. Jeffery Lukas, a 14-year-old BMX rider from Virginia, said sometimes there is minor animosity among skaters.

"The skaters make a lot of noise [from their boards]," Lukas said.

He referred to the in-line skaters as, "fruit-booters," who are "annoying and get in the way." And the other BMX riders in the background doing tricks, agreed.

Despite the slight hostility, Camp Woodward is known for its familial support.

During demonstrations, if a biker, a skater or an in-liner would spoil their trick and end up on the bottom of a 13-foot drop, nothing but cheers and camaraderie could be heard during the shocking silence.

"We love you; it's OK," shouted a fan.

Ream said he believes it is this perfect combination of instruction and fun that makes Camp Woodward the success it is today.

"It's the flow; it's the feeling; it just creates memories," Ream said.