NAIA Relocates 2021 Cheer Championships to Quad Cities, Iowa

The NAIA will be moving its 2021 cheer and dance national championships to Davenport, Iowa, to be hosted by St. Ambrose University and Visit Quad Cities on March 12–13.

St. Ambrose hosted the cheer and dance national championships in 2019 and was scheduled to do so in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The partnership and positive relationship we have with the NAIA and St. Ambrose University is incredibly important to Visit Quad Cities and our regional destination,” said Dave Herrell, president and chief executive officer of Visit Quad Cities.  “Serving and providing a host community solution for the NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance Championships was paramount to demonstrating to the NAIA that the Quad Cities always stands ready to work them. It will be an honor to host some of the country’s top student-athletes in a safe and responsible manner as they compete in the QC for this coveted championship event.”

The change in site is due to a scheduling conflict with the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which is being converted into a mass vaccination site. Both championships will be held in Ypsilanti and hosted by both the Ann Arbor Sports Commission and Concordia University in 2022.

“This has been a very difficult year to plan, so we want to thank the Ann Arbor Sports Commission for its efforts to make this happen,” said Mike Higgins, NAIA’s director of championships. “We certainly appreciate all of their hard work and also greatly appreciate former host St. Ambrose for picking up the baton. We know they will do an outstanding job.”