Motocross is a sport of grit, determination, conquering fears, and crushing goals. No matter what the skill level is, this sport will run you through an array of emotions from excitement, frustration, fear and elation, and that is just the first lap! The love of the sport is hard to explain to someone who has never swung a leg over a bike, as well as the understanding that with this sport comes risks.
No one understands those risks more than the family of Ryder Colvin, a rider out of Nevada who raced the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s in 2021, and who had hopes of qualifying again in 2023 when he tragically lost his life while training on the bike in February of 2023. To honor Ryder and his love of motocross, as well as his goals of racing Loretta’s, his family has set up a scholarship for riders who qualify at the ranch to help cover some of the costs of racing.
Their mission statement is:
“Grindstone Compound along with FMF created The RDC Foundation that supports the Ryder Colvin Scholarship Award. The scholarship was created to help take some of the financial burden off amateur riders that do not have the benefit of factory support. The RDC Foundation is a non-profit corporation, and donations are tax deductible. 100% of the support goes directly to amateur riders.”
In 2023 they raised and awarded $7,500 in scholarship funds and in 2024 they raised $10,500, distributed to five different riders.
Jacob Jones - $5k
Trevor Hazlett - $2k
Kya Chisholm - $1.5k
Christopher Schroeder - $1.5k
Max Bowling - $500
Riders applied for scholarships by filling out an application after regionals, and explaining why they would be a good representative of the RDC Foundation. The Foundation focused on applicants who not only needed the funds, but also have been through hardships, but never gave up on their dreams.
Along with injuries that many riders face, scholarship recipient Kya Chisholm from Canada, was unable to travel to the states to ride and race when COVID-19 shut the boarder down for two years. Michigan’s Christopher Schroeder, continued racing as a child with a Leukemia diagnosis, even racing through treatment when it was safe. Max Bowling's parents wanted him to stop racing last year, even keeping him off of the bike for five months after Max’s friend suffered a spinal cord injury in a racing accident. However Max’s love of riding outweighed any fears he had, and his parents soon realized they were keeping him from doing what he loved.
Thanks to the RDC Foundation, these riders were able to achieve their goals of racing Loretta’s last week. If you would like to read more about Ryder’s story, donate to the foundation, or learn how to apply for a scholarship next year check out their website.
