RAPID CITY - Rapid City middle schools have the right game plan.

While many schools struggle to find ways to get more kids active at a young age, the Rapid City middle schools are enjoying some of their best participation numbers ever. There are 1,020 students participating in middle school activities during the first quarter, which is one-third of the entire population of students enrolled in the Rapid City middle schools.

"We are up about 100 kids district wide for the fall season from last year," middle school activities coordinator Doug Foley said. "About two years ago, we lowered the team sizes in volleyball, basketball and others from 18 to 14. Last year, we saw a little bit of an increase, and I think part of it is kids are looking at it and saying, 'with 14 kids to a team there is more playing time and it's more enjoyable.'"

The fall quarter usually represents the largest number of kids from the five middle schools - Southwest, West, North, Dakota and South - participating in activities with cross country, football, volleyball and knowledge bowl all among the choices.

"We have always been steady, but this is the first time we really noticed a jump," said Foley of the number of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders taking part.

Foley said he actually thought the numbers of middle school participants would decrease some because there is a good number of eighth-graders who play up on the high school tennis and softball teams. However, the numbers have not dipped.

"I think the number of kids petitioning to go up has gone up, but we have more kids going out to take their spots," he said. "That 1,020 doesn't even take into account the kids in eighth-grade that are involved in the tennis program, soccer or softball."

Foley estimates that between those three programs there could be another 100 kids district-wide playing sports.

Foley sees the benefit of active kids in the hallways at West Middle School on a daily basis.

"Anytime kids jump into an activity and are around other kids … the whole camaraderie that is built there comes with a sense of belonging to the building, friendships with other kids. Even the discipline things seem to be reduced with kids in activities," he said.

One of the biggest benefits of kids being active in sports while in middle school is the opportunity to try several different activities to find the one or two right for them.

"If boys want to play football in the fall they can play football," Foley said. "If they want to wrestle they can do that second quarter and then play basketball third quarter which isn't possible once you hit high school. At this level they are able to do both and decide by eighth grade to make a choice."

The four quarters correspond with the nine-week grading periods with new sports offered each quarter. There is a $20 activities fee per sport with a $50 maximum per kid and a $100 maximum for families. For those unable to afford the cost there is a scholarship fund available thanks to money raised through fundraisers and private sources.

Foley said the growth in numbers has been steady over the years, but with the reduction of some team sizes it really got a boost this year. Despite some sports - especially volleyball - needing more teams to accommodate all of the new players, the cost has not been as significant as Foley thought it might.

"You would think it would cost more than it actually costs, and the truth is it makes a difference where you break it," he said. "It was not as expensive as we thought it would be because the numbers have broken at a good point."

Like any level of sports, finding enough coaches for the teams has been a challenge at times, but it has not kept activities from expanding.

"The maximum number of any teams we have right now is four with volleyball," Foley said.

Another reason for the success at the middle school level is the fact that coaches from each of the schools come together at the end of each quarter and discuss adjustments that may need to be made to improve the experience for all involved.

"We do simple things like changing the rule from kicking an extra point and two points for running the ball in and flipped it because it is easier to run the ball in at this age and we want to develop kickers," Foley said.

Foley has seen the benefits of active kids in the community.

"You want to get as many kids out and keep them out for as long as you can because you don't know physical maturation from sixth grade to ninth or 10th," Foley said. "The more kids we can keep out and keep involved … the better off we are."