Summer Fun. Traverse City.
Summer Fun. Traverse City.
2025 TOURNAMent registration UPDATE 2/21/2025
Traverse City Waves Tournaments have limited spots available in our summer tournaments see information below for specific details on age group availability. Click your tournament to register!
(Updated 2-18-2025)
Spring Splash - June 6th-8th, 2025
(9U, 10U, 12U, 14U,)
1 12U spot available
Northern Classic - June 13th-15th, 2025
(9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 14U, High School)
Availability in the following:
10U - 1 Spot Available
12U - 1 Spot Available
Cherry Capital Showdown - June 20th-22nd, 2025
(9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U)
Tournament is FULL. Email tcwavestournaments@gmail.com to be added to a wait list
Bayside Bash - June 27th-29th
Tournament is FULL. Email tcwavestournaments@gmail.com to be added to a wait list.
Softball Spectacular - July 11th - 13th
(10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U)
Tournament is FULL. Email tcwavestournaments@gmail.com to be added to a wait list
Waves Welcome Jimmy John's as a summer tournament series sponsor!
The Traverse City Waves are happy to welcome back Jimmy John's as a Traverse City Summer Tournament Series sponsor in 2024.
Jimmy John's has two locations in Travsrse City--1294 W. South Airport (231-935-9355) and 1217 E. Front Street (directly across from the Civic Center. 231-929-2999).
Whe you're in Traverse City--especially if you're playing at or near the Civic Center--make sure to call or stop by at Jimmy John's for a quick, tasty lunch or dinner!
Some things to do while you're in traverse city...
There are a LOT of things to do in an around the Traverse City area on a softball weekend. Our tournaments are focused on FUN for players and their families. Here are just a few of the many activities that teams can do on a tournament weekend:
- Dip your toes in Lake Michigan -- there are several beaches within a short distance of the fields. After the game, you can get a first-hand view of how chilly the Great Lakes are!
- Take a walk around downtown TC -- the downtown area is always bustling on a summer weekend! There ae many shops and restaurants to explore, and the beach is one block away from downtown.
- If your team is playing in the Bayside Bash, you can watch the Blue Angels -- in 2024, the Blue Angels will be performing their air show on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30. If you're playing in the afternoon, there's a very good chance that you'll experience quite a shock as the Blue Angels roar directly overhead, often during the games!
- Take a trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes -- challenge your teammates on the Dune Climb! The walk UP the dune can be tiring, but once you're at the top of the Dune Climb, you'll see some of the most memorable views, and you'll have stories to tell for a lifetime. Plus, the run DOWN the dunes is a blast!
- Sit around a campfire and make some s'mores -- Lots of teams bring campers or rent a cabin at Timber Ridge, Charters State Park, Interlochen State Park, and at other area campgrounds. A campfire is a wonderful way to end a Saturday with friends and teammates.
- When you're getting ready for the tournament, ask us for some recommendations for having fun in TC -- we will be happy to recommend a favorite restaurant for a team meal, activities to do as a team, or a quiet place to get away as a family.
Thanks To The Men and Women In Blue Who Umpire So That The Kids Get A Chance To Play!
It takes a lot of dedicated umpires to be able to host the large number of teams that participate in the Traverse City tournaments. We're fortunate to have some of the best umpires in Michigan in the local area. Thanks, gals and guys, for your good work on the softball fields!
Waves History
The Waves is an organization formed in 2004 and based in Traverse City that provides the opportunity for young players to learn and enjoy the game of softball. Former Waves players have had successful high school sports and academic careers...played softball in college...earned all-area, all-region, and all-state honors in softball and other sports...made successful transitions into college, graduated from college, and established professional careers. The Waves organization has funded over $18,000 in college scholarships--the Barb Beckett, Billie Drake and Charlex Bott Scholarships, named after three prominent supporters of youth sports in the Traverse City area--and continues to emphasize providing opportunities for girls to excel while having fun playing softball.
The Waves hosted the eighteenth Traverse City Softball Spectacular in 2023. Because of overwhelmingly positive feedback from our visiting teams, we added the Northern Classic tournament in 2008 to allow more teams the opportunity to combine a mini-vacation in the Traverse City area with a first class, enjoyable tournament. The Cherry Capital Showdown was added to the tournament schedule several years ago and has become a favorite among teams from throughout the state and the midwest. In 2016, the Spring Splash was added to the series, an early-season tournament for younger teams. The five-year-old Bayside Bash offers older teams a chance to play in a fun, quality tournament. Finally, 2016 also saw the start of the Futures Challenge, a one-day tune-up tournament for teams that have just selected their squads for the next summer season. We hope to be able to welcome your team to one of our tournaments!
Refund Policy For Teams That Withdraw From A Tournament
We realize that certain situations happen in the course of running a team--players leave, emergencies come up, etc. From a tournament standpoint, we begin planning for next year's tournaments very shortly after THIS year's tournaments end. By April, the tournament field is largely set and planning for the current year's tournaments has been underway for some time.
If a team notifies us prior to April 1st that their plans have changed, we can refund their entry fee. If we're notified on or after April 1st, unfortunately no refunds can be given.
Weather Disruption Cancellation Policy
Refund Policy once the tournament begins: - If no (0) games are played, 80% of each team’s tournament registration fee will be refunded. If games are played (at least one round played to completion) the registration fee is fully earned and no refunds will be given. If tourney must be cancelled due to act of God, prior to the start, teams will be refunded 85% of their entry fee.