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-Riders, get ready. It's time for the main event.
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-The world of BMX racing moves fast.
And the high flying action is intense.
-Allen making a move. Dan, down an octave.
-But it wasn't long ago that most of these racers
at this bike track in SeaTac weren't fighting to the finish.
-These dudes are heading out.
-They were having trouble just getting started.
-Lift up. Just try to get on the pedal.
-Brent Azus wants to help every kid ride a bike
after an experience with his own children
four years ago that may sound familiar.
-When COVID happened March of 2020,
it was like timeout, you guys need to get outside.
-And the one.
-I can't let you just sit inside
and play video games all day.
You're already going to be in front of the screen for school.
I can't let you do that.
-Brent's kids got involved in BMX competitions
just months after they learned how to ride.
But as Brent was setting up a racing team
for his then-grade school age children,
he learned something along the way.
-Getting out on a bicycle helps with your mental state.
It's rare to ever see a kid on a bike not happy.
-And that's how Cycle Therapy,
a King County non-profit, got started.
Providing safety equipment, bikes,
and a mental health boost to nearly 800 kids
at King County Parks this year.
-Gaining confidence, getting social skills,
all up to just helping adjusting with any type of mental issues.
-Lauren Alvarez, Cycle Therapy's treasurer,
is well aware of what doctors call a national emergency
with children's mental health in the wake of the pandemic.
The Casey Foundation says more than 15% of our state's kids
have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression,
higher than the US average of just under 12%.
And that's just the start
of what Cycle Therapy is dealing with.
-We help out a lot of kids that are autistic,
help some that have Down syndrome, a lot of ADHD,
and just, like, social anxiety.
Once they get out on a bike, put the helmet on,
they're a whole new kid.
-You got it, wow!
-Doctors say exercise like cycling helps reduce cortisol,
a stress hormone.
But new riders like Lincoln
are pegging the thankfulness meter, too.
-I feel grateful. I love riding bikes now.
-And if you're worried about not being able to afford
to have your child involved with Cycle Therapy,
it's time to put the brakes on that kind of thinking.
There's financial assistance available for those who need it.
-Alright.
-Beyond its free Pedal to the Mental Park program,
Cycle Therapy provides funding for kids
who want to compete in local races
but don't have the money to do so.
-We saw the good in what has happened with our children,
and we want to provide that back to the communities.
Anyone in Washington State who needs our help,
we want to be able to provide that.
-And that includes riders up to age 50.
Parent Vincent Tanakas says his son pulled him into the fun.
-So I started racing as well,
but he's the fast one in the family.
-When Vincent learned what Cycle Therapy was all about,
he was more than ready to help them go the extra mile.
-When I come here racing and find out what they're doing,
it was just, like, awesome, you know?
Like, that's a charity I can get behind.
-For mom Natalya,
Cycle Therapy support for her four kids
has been immeasurable by creating a love of cycling
that could have lifelong benefits.
-It's a way
for them to make other friends outside of school too,
and kind of get into something that they can do long term.
For mental health,
I definitely think it's important
for kids to be able to,
you know, find something that they love doing.
-Remember how it felt when you learned
how to ride a bike for the first time?
-It feels like I have, like, it's freedom out to the world.
-Thanks to Cycle Therapy,
a lot more kids are getting on the path to that healthy,
happy feeling, and there's no turning back.
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-Watch CityStream Tuesday nights at 7 on the Seattle Channel,
or find us anytime online at SeattleChannel.org.
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