(Red Deer Public School Division/ supplied)

By rdnewsNOW staff

May 29

Young riders ready for 8th annual GhostRaiders Invitational

May 14, 2025 | 11:32 AM

The eighth annual GhostRaiders Invitational Skate Park Competition is set for later this month.

On Thursday, May 29 over 50 students from across 20 central Alberta schools will head to the Glendale Skatepark for the event put on by Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.

Registration and warmups begin at 9 a.m. and the event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants can compete on skateboards, scooters, or BMX bikes.

The competition, which started seven years ago by Stephan Banks and the Delburne Ghost Ryders, first began as an idea to bring skateboarding into schools.

Over the years it’s turned into a high-energy competition which celebrates sports, community, and creativity.

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Banks continues to support the event but Lindsay Thurber High School has since taken over as organizers.

“This is a great chance to bring students together and celebrate the culture, creativity, and athleticism behind skateboarding and action sports,” said RJ Willms, Teacher at Lindsay Thurber.

The competition is separated by division including the junior division that will feature Grade 7-9 students and the senior division for Grades 10-12. There will also be guest judges.

Students have been busy organizing and preparing for the invitational, which is student focused and operated.

“Students have been instrumental in organizing this event,” he said. “My Grade 9s will help run it, and our foods department will be operating the concession. Students will even go through a job application and interview process to run different parts of the day. It’s hands-on, authentic work experience at its best.”

In the Lindsay Thurber’s Career and Technology Studies program, students can participate in the ‘business of skateboarding course,’ to earn high school credits.