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Ride promotes mental health

Myles Mattila is used to skating circles around hockey opponents.

Myles Mattila is used to skating circles around hockey opponents.

On Sunday, June 22, he'll be putting his legs to work in a different kind of circular motion, cranking the pedals of a bike to bring awareness to mental health issues and raise funds in the third annual Ride Don't Hide event.

Mattila is heading Team MindCheck PG for the ride, to help promote the MindCheck website set up last year following the August 2011 suicide of Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien. The mindcheck.ca website Mattila promotes in Prince George high schools is geared to youth and young adults.

"I'm trying to get some teams together and do what I can to join my group or make their own group," said Mattila. "I just want to raise awareness for Ride Don't Hide and raise awareness for mental health. Hopefully we'll get 150 people."

Mattila, 15, has just about finished his Grade 9 classes at Duchess Park secondary school and has been trying to round up his fellow students for the ride, which starts at 10:15 a.m. on June 22 at the CN Centre south parking lot. There's a short obstacle course for the kids and older riders will have a choice between a flat six-kilometre course or a hilly 20 km ride.

The Ride Don't Hide movement was started by Vancouver teacher Michael Schratter, who completed a 40,000 km, 15-month global bike ride in 2011. Schratter's trip brought worldwide attention to his lifelong struggles with depression and anxiety and helped tear down some of stigmas attached to mental illnesses. Ride Don't Hide has expanded beyond the B.C. border for the first time and is being promoted in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The national goal is to attract 3,600 participants and raise $800,000.

"All the money raised in Prince George will stay here and will be going towards mental health education," said Maureen Davis, executive director of the Prince George branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. "We've basically gone national with the event and the whole thinking behind it is you don't need to be ashamed."

The Prince George ride is being sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart and Cycle World. The top local fundraiser will win a Norco bike worth up to $400. Register at ridedonthide.com.

Mattila, a native of Quesnel, moved to Prince George last year to play hockey and was captain of the Farr Fabricating bantam Tier 1 Cougars hockey team. The team went on to host the provincial championship and Mattila was selected by the Vancouver Giants in the WHL bantam draft May. 1. The Giants picked him in the ninth round, 183rd overall, and he'll report to his first Giants camp on Aug. 22.

Mattila was the only player from his Prince George bantam team to be picked in the WHL draft but three of his Cougar teammates have been invited to WHL rookie camps. Defenceman Jesse Pomeroy received five WHL invitations including the Prince George Cougars, Portland Winterhawks, Kelowna Rockets, Swift Current Broncos and Calgary Hitmen. Farr goalie Jake Sweet has been asked to attend the rookie camps of the Rockets, Cougars and Victoria Royals, while forward Darion Long has invitations from the Giants, Hitmen and Kamloops Blazers.