Stated Mission Is to Dominate BMX Field

Jamie Bestwick is one of the most well-known athletes living in State College, Pa., though you’ll never see him in a Penn State uniform.

Bestwick, 34, is a two-time X Games gold medalist in the BMX freestyle vert competition. Raised in Riddings, England, he moved to State College in 1998 to pursue a career as a BMX rider.

State College is home to Woodward Camp, a state-of-the-art BMX training facility that features 17 parks.

Originally a gymnastics camp, the site added skateboard parks in the early 1980s and BMX in 1987. In addition to Bestwick, the training grounds have lured other top riders, including Kevin Robinson, John Parker and Chad Kagy, who are also scheduled to compete in the freestyle vert competition today and the freestyle vert best trick competition Saturday, both at Staples Center.

Bestwick considers Woodward Camp an oasis for serious BMX riders.

“In the summer, I’ll go down there every day for like four or five hours,” he said.

Before moving to Pennsylvania, Bestwick worked in England’s aerospace industry repairing propeller blades. He trained on his BMX bike after work and entered contests on weekends. When the X Games began propelling BMX into the spotlight, Bestwick seized the opportunity to move to the United States.

“A lot of people saw me at the contests and wanted me to come over,” he said. “They wanted me to ride for them and not work a regular job.”

Bestwick shocked BMX fans in 2000 when he performed a flawless run to win gold in the vert freestyle, ending Dave Mirra’s three-year reign as champion. He added another X Games gold medal in the event in 2003.

“He raised the level and now we’re gunning for him,” Mirra said of Bestwick. “[His 2000 win] didn’t surprise me at all. Jamie was working hard and he put the pen to the paper.”