International Shipping Delays Strickland Turf, Fall Leagues Relocate

A shipping delay has put the synthetic turf installation at the Strickland Park ballfields on hold indefinitely. The Stillwater Area Sports Association is moving its fall youth season to other city fields, but the season is not canceled, and league director Carolyn Walstad said 71 teams are registered and will play on time.

According to a press release from the City of Stillwater, the turf shipment has been delayed by international shipping disruptions. The manufacturer has advised that the shipment is currently unable to transit the area, and the city said there is no estimated timeline for when shipping will resume.

Walstad said she has been told the holdup has to do with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping route the turf must pass through. GeoSurfaces did not respond to a request to confirm that account.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping Feb. 28, 2026, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets. The strait has opened and closed several times since, including a brief reopening in mid-June under a U.S.-Iran agreement that broke down in July after renewed attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway. As of early August, shipping companies were still reporting delays and rerouted shipments through the region.

Adult men's and co-ed fall softball leagues, which normally play at the Sanborn softball fields, will not be held this season. Walstad said canceling those leagues frees up the Sanborn fields so the youth season can move there instead.

Walstad said she has fielded questions from parents about whether the youth season would proceed and whether refunds would be issued, after a news report incorrectly stated the fall season had been canceled.

"We are not canceling our youth fall season," Walstad said. "It will start on time. It just will not be starting in Strickland Park."

The youth fall season will instead be played at Sanborn softball fields 1, 2, 4 and 5, as well as Southern Woods and Babcock Park, with Wittenberg a possible addition. The Sanborn fields are part of Sanborn Lake Park, near Stillwater Regional Airport.

Walstad said the biggest challenge is field size: Strickland was built for youth play, while the Sanborn complex was built for adults, meaning bases and pitching mounds will need to be repositioned at each site. Parking will also be tighter, Walstad said, because the Sanborn fields share parking with the airport.

The ballfields and batting cages at Strickland Park remain closed to the public and will stay that way until the entire project is complete, Walstad said. The rest of the park, including the playground and skate park, remains open.

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Construction otherwise on track

Despite the turf delay, the rest of the renovation is moving forward. Walstad said field lighting has been installed, fencing is expected to be completed this week, and backstops were going in as of this week. The concession stand and restrooms have been remodeled and would have been ready to open by Monday, Aug. 17.

"The field will be completely ready for when we do get the turf," Walstad said. "Truly, the only thing that we are waiting on is the turf."

The renovations are part of the $1.8 million Strickland Park Ballfields Improvement Project, funded through the Visitor Sales Tax. As The Stillwegian reported in March, the Stillwater Economic Development Authority approved the project following a unanimous recommendation from the Tourism Advisory Committee, with the goal of completing the work in time for fall league play.

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What's special about this turf?

Walstad said the manufacturer let her know it had a different turf product in stock, one that uses black rubber infill beads, and that it could have been installed on time. She said they chose to wait for the specified product instead.

Walstad described the turf as low-maintenance, without the black beads used in the alternative product. She said the surface does not get as hot because it has no beads to absorb heat, that damaged sections can be cut out and patched, and that a bead-based product requires sweeping and replacing beads every year. The product also carries a 12-year warranty.

The specified product, Pivot Performance Turf, is designed to be installed without loose infill, according to TenCate product materials. In place of infill, the system uses Pivot Cool, a subsurface layer the manufacturer says cools the surface and adds stability, along with a shock pad and a multi-layer backing. TenCate materials say the design avoids the shifting and compacting that loose infill can cause, and that the absence of an abrasive infill helps the turf fibers hold up over time.

"I just believe that our first [infield] with this new type of turf is a better quality and is the better decision," Walstad said.

Walstad said she hopes the fields can open at some point during the fall season, though the manufacturer has not been able to provide a timeline.