The Star of the North Games, Minnesota’s version of the Olympic Games, began in 1989. Star of the North is a member of the National Congress of State Games, which is a multi-sport organization member of the United States Olympic Committee.
Rochester will host the Star of the North Games for the ninth time, the most by any Minnesota city. The games will be held the weekends of June 16-17 and 23-24 throughout the city. We will host 15 different sporting events over those two weekends, bringing somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 athletes to town and an economic impact over those two weekends of roughly $1.5 million.
Because of the large participation numbers in indoor sports like volleyball and basketball, we have to hold the games over two weekends, due to venue space. Volleyball is our largest event and most spread out for venues, as we use Byron, Stewartville, Dover-Eyota, the National Volleyball Center and all Rochester’s high school courts. Other events during those weekends include: gymnastics, triathlon, figure skating, soccer, lacrosse, weightlifting, billiards, 5K, track & field, family triathlon and tennis.
Throughout the years participation has decreased in the games, which is due to several factors. Not that long ago there weren’t tournaments being held every week and there certainly weren’t as many opportunities for traveling sports as there are now during the summer months.
Also, families and teams can’t afford to play all year round and have needed to shorten their seasons or be selective on which events they participate in. In 1989, the most athletes to take part in the games was 11,000 athletes. Recently the games have averaged around 4,500 athletes. These numbers are more manageable for host cities, but also have less of an impact on the local economy.
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Star of the North athletes don’t always realize this, but winning a medal at the Star of the North games can qualify them for the National Championship at State Games of America (SGA). Athletes who medal in a qualifying sport in either 2011 or 2012 can participate in the next SGA in Hershey-Harrisburg, Pa., in 2013. In 2011, 44 Minnesota athletes competed in the SGA in San Diego.
Visit our website at www.rochsports.com or www.starofthenorthgames.org for more information regarding the 2012 Star of the North Games in Rochester and the State Games of America.
