RAPID CITY - Nearly 1,100 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders were at Sioux Park on Tuesday morning to take part in the Rapid City Public Middle Schools All-City Track Meet.

The annual event brings together kids from five middle schools - West, Southwest, South, North and Dakota - as they compete in a variety of track and field events which marks the close to their season.

"It is a full day, everything is covered and the coaches all work," Middle School activities director Doug Foley said. "It runs incredibly, incredibly smooth. In comparison to some of the large meets, it goes very well because everyone knows what they are doing."

Kids pack the lower bleachers at the track while family and friends sit above cheering on their teams.

"The kids are really into it because they are either out here running their events or they are up in the stands," Foley said. "There is very little screwing around which is really incredible for 1,100 kids."

Depending on who you ask, the competition on the track can be intense.

"I like this because we get to get out of school," said 14-year-old Matt Fitzgerald, who is an eighth-grader at South Middle School. "It is pretty intense and there is definitely a little rivalry out there because our school has already broken two records."

Records, which have been kept since the 1970s, were falling early and often at the meet as kids were competing for medals and ribbons.

"I like it because it just brings all of us together and it gives us a chance to interact," sixth-grader Paige Hendricks said. Hendricks is a North Middle School relay runner. "It is a little competitive but not much."

The meet started at 8 a.m. and was to conclude about 4 p.m. with a break in between for lunch.

While the weather has wrecked havoc with many of the middle school meets, Foley said the final two meets have been run under nothing but sunshine which left some competitors with sunburns after the West River Meet last week.