Past the rides and fried food, this competition is at the heart of the Colorado State Fair

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Ask a kid at the Colorado State Fair what their favorite part is, and they'll probably say the carnival rides.

"I'd have to say the rides, hanging out with my family and friends," Celestino Torres told KRDO13 at the state fair on Friday.

"The rollercoasters!" a group of boys yelled.

While Pueblo will be lit up with bright lights and the sounds of people screaming with joy for the next 10 days, that's not where the real emotion is.

"These kids hustle. These kids sweat. They cry, and they've been beaten more times than they’ve won," the announcer's voice booms in the CSU pavilion.

"I don't go on vacation. I don't do anything like that. I don't play sports. I don't do anything that kids my age usually do. So, it's a lot of sacrifice, but it's obviously worth it," Karlina Tanin said. For Tanin, it was very much worth it. Tanin and her prized pig 'El Chapo' won it all and claimed the Grand Championship for Best Market Hog.

"I honestly don't have words to describe that feeling, but it's better than anything that you can even imagine. It's the best feeling. It really is. It's been lots of months and years [that] I've been doing it. This is my 10th or 11th year, so we've been doing this for a decade as a family, and it's just all coming to a close. And it's just so bittersweet," Tanin said.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.