It’s officially the 10th anniversary of the winter tournament that lights up the heart of Cedar.
The Brian Nachazel Memorial Snowball Tournament is the premier winter softball tournament of northern Michigan that will take place on Saturday, February 24 at 9 a.m.
“It’s hard to believe it’s already been 10 years,” Rebecca (Nachazel) Goff said. “We always try to have the best year. Hopefully it’s the best of the best.”
Nachazel, a Leland graduate of 2000, was 31 when he passed away unexpectedly after a car accident. The community honors Nachazel while raising money for a good cause through a softball tournament, which was one of his favorite outdoor activities.
Proceeds from the tournament always goes to helping out local people of the peninsula in need.
Nearly five spots are still available for the tournament that costs $150 for a team of six men and four women per team.
“We’ve got a lot of people to play softball but they are too old to do it now,” Nachazel said.
Two girls play infield and two girls play outfield. Competitivefriendly games are on tap with a silent auction, raffle, concessions and more on Saturday.
There will be no batting more than two males in a row, also, no arch limit 1-1 with grace.
Teams from all over the state battled for bragging rights while raising money for local people in need, and honoring Nachazel.
The tournament has raised roughly $161,000 in the 10 years the fundraiser has been in existence. In 2023, nearly $27,000 was raised.
Hoodies, T-shirts, and other snowball tournament garb is available at Buntings in Cedar.
