LOVELAND -- It's been nearly five years since Jeremy Bloom has been in the football spotlight, at least on the field, but the former Colorado standout and Olympic skier is as popular as ever here.

Bloom and two of his Loveland High School teammates, Greg and Chris Gebhardt, had talked about putting together a football camp for the past three years.

On Saturday, about 350 kids from ages 6 to 19 showed up for the inaugural Jeremy Bloom Football Clinic at the Loveland Sports Complex.

The camp's namesake was almost overwhelmed by the impressive turnout.

"It was great. We had a lot more kids than we expected, which was a good problem to have," said Bloom, who conducted the clinic free of charge. "Working with the little guys was great because it gave me perspective. Sometimes when you get older you get so locked into worrying about different things and forget why you played the game in the first place."

Bloom's CU career was cut short in 2004 when he lost a legal tug-of-war with the NCAA over accepting endorsement deals to fund his bid for the 2006 Olympics.After being selected by Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, the speedy receiver/kick returner was cut by the Eagles last year due to nagging injuries that kept him on the sideline.

The always-upbeat Bloom, now 26, believes his third NFL training camp will be the charm. He reports with the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday.

"I don't remember feeling this much a part of team since college," said Bloom, who signed with the Steelers on Dec. 31, 2007, before the team's playoff game against Jacksonville. "I have a great feeling with their organization. It's a great place to play football. There's a family feel amongst the guys and from the top to bottom."

Bloom attended all of the Steelers' offseason workouts and also trained in Arizona with a number of other NFL players. He believes injuries are the only thing that can stop him from having a successful professional career, and that focusing on football for three years without skiing will help his body hold up this fall.

"In Philadelphia, when I was healthy, the coaches told me I had a lot to offer on offense and special teams," Bloom said. "I learned the last two years that everything from the past is thrown out and you just have to make plays and do whatever you can to help the team on the field."

After working with the younger players during the morning session on Saturday, Bloom taught about 50 high school players techniques in the afternoon with some help from former CU teammates Joel Klatt and Sean Tufts.

In addition to giving back to his hometown with the free football clinic, Bloom recently launched his foundation -- The Donna Wheeler Foundation -- named after his grandmother.

Wheeler, 82, still works full-time at a bank in Keystone, where Bloom learned to ski, and does volunteer work on weekends.

"She was a major part of my life in developmental stages," Bloom said. "I always appreciated her perspective on life. She's just always so positive."