Bloom BMX’s Ride Like A Girl WKND At Woodward PA Nurtures Young BMXers

When BMX freestyle made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, it could have been framed as the triumphant end point of a narrative. The roots of the sport can be traced back to the 1970s, and, though it has enjoyed peaks and endured valleys, it has persisted, finally gaining entry to the most mainstream sporting event on the planet.

But the Olympics aren’t the mountaintop for BMX freestyle; they are just a stop on the way. The end goal for BMX freestyle is to be a sport that enjoys continued growth, attracting riders of all genders and backgrounds, and provides opportunities for them to take it as far as they want.

To do that, the sport needs help from likeminded partners and organizations—such as Woodward, the Bloom BMX and Ride Like a Girl, all of whom came together April 18–20 to host the latest Ride Like a Girl WKND at Woodward’s Pennsylvania facility.

The event welcomed 55 female and non-binary participants who were able to explore Woodward’s 400,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor facilities alongside some of the biggest names in BMX, including the Bloom BMX cofounder and professional BMX athlete Angie Marino, Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Worthington, BMX freestyle world champion Perris Benegas and Olympic silver medalist Hannah Roberts.

When Marino first attended Woodward BMX camp in 2005, she was the only girl in attendance. The last 20 years have brought dramatic changes in participation demographics, in no small part to the work Marino has done as a pro and with the Bloom BMX to grow the sport.

When BMX freestyle was approved for Olympic inclusion in 2017, Woodward, which was founded as a gymnastics camp in 1970 but now specializes in action sports experiences across its eight facilities in the U.S., played a crucial role in preparing athletes for that level of competition.

By 2024, of the 112 BMX and skateboard athletes who competed at the Paris Olympics, 36 had ties to Woodward, and 23 had trained at Woodward in the year leading up to the Games. These aren’t just American athletes; Woodward’s programming and facilities attract action sports athletes from around the globe.

BMX freestyle’s Olympic designation was a catalyst for the sport’s growth among female riders, Marino says.

“The Olympics helped with equal prize money, federations financially supporting women riders and attracting more sponsors,” Marino told me. “With more financial support and more exposure, BMX has been able to grow, especially for the women. A lot of women had minimal to zero support prior.”

Charlotte Worthington won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s BMX freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Games. But when she started out, she was one of the few girls riding BMX in the entire United Kingdom.

North America dominated the global BMX market in 2024, per Cognitive Market Research, accounting for around 40 percent of the total $361.2 million global revenue. But Europe, and the United Kingdom in particular, is seeing rapid growth.

Europe accounts for more than 30 percent of global revenue and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0 percent from 2024 to 2031. The UK will grow at an even larger CAGR of 4.8 percent, with BMX sales in the UK seeing a spike due to a robust youth participation program.

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Worthington, with her highly visible Olympic success, shares no small part of the responsibility for BMX’s growth in the UK. For many girls, all it takes is seeing someone like Worthington, Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Roberts or Paris 2024 silver medalist Benegas succeed to stoke the desire to follow in their footsteps.

Riding alongside them at an event like Ride Like a Girl WKND is next level.

At 28, Worthington represents a nexus point in the sport. Being in the prime of her career has allowed her to take advantage of opportunities like BMX’s Olympic debut in 2021 as well as the first-ever X Games women’s BMX medal event in 2024, after years of advocacy from the sport’s forebears.

Riding with the women from that generation was a highlight of the Bloom BMX WKND for Worthington.

“They loved BMX for everything it is and wanted to see other girls shred, no ego or competition,” Worthington said. “They felt like role models.”

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“The older generation is showing what’s possible, how to fall and get back up, and how to be your personal best while having fun,” said Phoebe Mills, VP of Camp Experiences & Programming at Woodward Global. “It’s one thing to see your hero on TV, but it’s a whole different experience to ride alongside them and learn new bike skills together.”

There is a perception that Woodward is only for experts and professionals, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth, Mills said, highlighting Woodward’s new Progression Centre park, built in 2023, that is tailored to athletes who have just taken up skateboarding, scooter and BMX.

“There is truly something for everyone at Woodward, no matter your ability level,” Mills said. “Events like this help our athletes build confidence and enjoy our parks in a laid-back atmosphere open to exploration and progression.”

Cory Coffey, the first women’s BMX world champion and first woman to land a backflip, fell in love with the sport as a teenager in California. There was nothing like this event when she started out, and a few years after taking up the sport, she started teaching at OP Girls Learn to Ride clinics. Now she’s teaching her own girls to ride.

“I take my young daughters with me to the local skate parks, and we see more and more girls often riding BMX,” Coffey said. “I think it’s time to grow the sport even more though, especially as we head into the next Olympic Quad for LA28,” she added.

“When I first started riding, opportunities like this just didn’t exist,” said Jessica Ausec, who began riding BMX in the early 2000s and was also in attendance at Woodward PA. “There were a few companies that helped riders travel to different destinations, but they weren’t easily accessible and more often than not you had to be invited. It’s nothing like this event, where everyone is welcome, and that’s truly incredible.

“The thought of having this many women gathered in one space for riding wasn’t even something we could imagine back then,” Ausec added. “That’s what makes this moment so powerful!”