Talk about dedicated students. Hundreds of Smith Middle School students stayed after school on Monday. What's more, they paid to stay.

Hours after the last school buses disappeared from the school's parking lot, avid Smith fans and friends met in the third annual Cyclone Games, a whirlwind of healthy activity, capped by a nutritious feast of the best in locally grown foods.

Of course, the chance to ally with world class athletes like Eric Montross and Carla Overbeck didn't hurt the turnout either. The chance to best teachers in a good-natured competition probably helped, too.

Montross, the center for UNC's 1993 NCAA basketball champions and a former NBA standout, joined Women's World Cup and Olympic Soccer champion Overbeck to reflect strong support of healthy activities for area youth.

"This is so much fun and such a great event for the kids and for the school," Montross said. "It's a great way to raise money for these kids' activities."

Monday evening marked the third increase in attendance and participation in the games.

"I'm excited to see an activity that supports good health and nutrition," Smith Middle School Principal Valerie Reinhardt said.

"It's great to see the adults supporting the kids in their play, because forging those relationships is one of the things we're trying to do here, and there's been a great faculty turnout too."

The (somewhat) competitive events that comprise the Cyclone Games included scooter basketball, relay races, and a big-ball version of four squares. Each got students and teachers up, moving, and having a great time outside of the classroom.

Some were concerned that scheduling the Cyclone Games on the eve of the seventh-grade writing exam might deter attendance, Reinhardt said, but planners thought the event would help assuage pre-test jitters.

"We thought it would actually be a nice way to have the students come out and relax," she said on Monday evening. "We try not to assign homework tonight, so we were hoping the kids would come out, have fun, relax, and then go home and get a great night's sleep so they'll be ready and raring to go."

Of course there's nothing like eating smart to steer a clear mind. Dinner options following the fun and games featured decidedly nutritious choices, veiled in the disguise of pizzas.

Dr. Alice Ammerman, the Smith booster club's president and Director of UNC's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, said use of local products was emphasized.

"We'd focused again on locally grown foods as much as possible, built around homemade pizza as the main dish ... with sausage from Ficklecreek Farm, pointed head cabbage from Lyon Farm," she noted.

"According to the farmer, the cabbage is the best cabbage in the world," she added.

"The important thing is that this is a healthy way to raise money, instead of a cake-and-doughnut fundraiser."

Between the healthy menu of activities and the healthy menu itself, the Cyclone event has raised eyebrows as a model fundraiser.

PTA organizations and the "Eat Smart, Move More, NC" initiative are recognizing the success of the Cyclone Games as a model for outside-the-box, innovative fundraising.

"It was this willingness to take chances and employ new ways of thinking that led to the creation of the Cyclone Games," Ammerman pointed out.

In addition to acclaim earned over the past two years, the event also reaps tangible rewards. Smith has bought scoreboards baseball and soccer with the proceeds, Ammerman said.

Smith Athletic Director Don Minnick said other needs have been earmarked for Monday's and future fundraising.

"This year, basketball goals have been ordered for recess time," he said. "We're also looking for field hockey goals for next year's team."

While organizers hoped for a big turnout and boosters wished for high fundraising, it was apparent from the start that a vocal majority of the students present were simply hoping to "take it to" the teachers.

"Looks like (the teachers) are getting whupped this round," Minnick said, shaking his head at a lopsided floor hockey score. We lost the first round one too, didn't we? But we don't care what the score is."

Taking a break from the student-versus-teacher contests, Montross challenged duos in games of one-on- ... uh ... -two basketball. Overbeck donned the stripes and played referee.

Taking the 7-footer to the rack on her first drive was Audra Slosek, a guard on the Smith girls' JV squad.

"The best part was definitely playing against Eric Montross," Slosek said, "but I'm also going to play four square. ... I'm not that good at four square, but it's fun."

A last-second desperation shot from beyond the arc ensured Montross's narrow victory versus Slosek and her teammate in a game of two-on-one. A boys' twosome, featuring Smith hoopster Cody Martin, scored a buzzer-beating victory over the NBA veteran, something for the scrapbook.

"I got the ball with about 1.6 seconds to go," Martin said. "I just jumped up (for a rebound), got the ball, and put it back in."

While Cyclone Games events and dinner wrapped up by around 7 p.m. Monday, the opportunity to contribute to the cause was open-ended, and organizers will welcome any future donations through the Smith Boosters.

In the meantime, these Cyclone "sellers" will be back to the drawing board in search of new ideas for next year's games.