Rids Kids: A place for community basketball

Group aims to reach people across Whatcom County

By Nathan Schumock Sports Editor

LYNDEN — Rids Kids is a nonprofit serving the community’s athletes since 2021.

Luke Ridnour is a former NBA player who attended Blaine High School in the late ‘90s. He started the Ridnour Athletic Courts and Rids Kids with his wife, Kate. In a statement online, Luke said Rids Kids “wanted to create a toptier gym where kids can have

See Rids Kids on 10

Continued from 8 fun, chase their sports dreams, and build memories. We offer training for the recreationallyminded all the way up to those pursuing elite-level competition.”

Rids Kids serves as a nonprofit that uses the RAC as a space for community basketball activity for kids and adults. According to Executive Director Emma Stump, they also use the RAC to support other sports, such as volleyball, wrestling and football.

Currently, they host tournaments, camps and are looking to provide more high-level training for athletes.

Stump said, “This is where Luke and Katie’s heart is, the community, kids and sports. They just want to be a resource and a safe, family-friendly place and show that through sports.”

The RAC is also available to be rented out by local teams and people as a space to practice their sports. It costs $65 an hour to rent the whole gym and $35 for half the gym. All of their fees and costs go back into the RAC and Rids kids.

According to their website, all donations are used to provide scholarships for underprivileged children, operate the RAC, and to do community-service projects to lift up families in need.

In addition to their camps and tournaments, Rids Kids host monthly open gyms for high school athletes so they can work on their craft. While they are primarily focused on kids and youth, they host men’s three-on-three leagues on their court.

One of their main focuses for the future is expanding their range and reaching more kids in neighboring communities. Stump said they want to stay immersed in the greater Northern Whatcom County communities while also bringing in kids from other places.

“We really want to grow our leagues. That would be the main thing to get more teams and more kids playing to have a bigger impact on the community. We also want to grow our tournaments because those are big and more fun for more competitive teams,” Stump said.

Stump added that they want to create more chances for girls’ sports because they often have lesser opportunities than the boys.

Stump said since the gym and Rids Kids is still in a relative infancy as a new business, they are working to balance out the renting of the gym and putting on their own productions.

“We are just trying to grow and get our name out there because I think a lot of people do not know what Rids Kids is,” Stump said. “So, just trying to get our name out there will help.”

More information about Rids Kids and the RAC can be found at attherac.com. They also have a Facebook page that offers updates on events and happenings at the RAC.