Granite Games Are Staying in the Granite City

ST. CLOUD -- The Granite Games are staying in St. Cloud.

Last fall the committee that organizes the athletic games put out a request for proposals and spent several months visiting other venues across the Midwest for a potential new location. However, spokesman Adam Smith says they ultimately decided St. Cloud State University -- which has been their home since they started in 2011 -- was the best fit for them.

Smith says there is one big change this year though, they are moving the Games to May 30th through June 2nd instead of holding them in September. He says that's because CrossFit has sanctioned the Granite Games as a qualifying event for their championships in August in Madison, Wisconsin.

The good news is obviously there's a lot more exposure with the sanctioning, whether it be potential sponsorships, or spectators, or radio broadcasts.  That's done a lot.  But our focus still remains on our community.

St. Cloud is one of just 16 events across the world that will be qualifying events for the CrossFit Games.

Smith says they expect 2,000 competitors in town for the event, with up to 10,000 people total including sponsors and spectators.

Meanwhile, while the 2019 Granite Games will be in St. Cloud, the longterm future of the event is still up in the air.  Founder John Swanson says...

We love our roots, we love Central Minnesota, but we’ve simply outgrown St Cloud. The Granite Games community is too big now for the city. We’ve spent several months looking at some really incredible options in the larger Midwest region, and I’m super excited by the possibilities they bring to the table. We’re making strides toward a long-term home solution, so watch for that in 2020.