Travel Suggestions for Entering the US for 2025 Season
Blair Setford • April 18, 2025
Travel Suggestions for Players Coming Into the US
Reminder for all out-of-region (OOR) players that they must send an email to iscfastpitch@gmail.com stating their name, their hometown, state/province and country that they currently live in along with the name of the team that they intend to play for and the ISC region of that team. The deadline for OOR player registration is June 15, 2025.
With the heightened emphasis on security at the U.S. border, the following are suggestions for teams and players to potentially smooth entry across borders.
- Flying vs driving - while potentially not as affordable, travellers may find flying from airports with U.S. pre-clearance is more convenient than crossing at a land-border.
- Using the CBP Mobile Passport Control (MPC) App to expedite clearance through U.S. customs. Available to U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, Canadian B1/B2 citizen visitors and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers with approved ESTA. The app is free to use and is available for both Android and Apple devices.
- Enrol in the Global Entry Program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers from selected countries upon arrival in the United States.
- The SENTRI Program provides a streamlined arrival process for international travelers coming into the U.S. from Mexico and the NEXUS program provides similar, streamlined arrivals and is available for Canadians. The wait time to successfully enrol in any of the Trusted Traveler Programs may be 12 months or more, however your SENTRI or NEXUS card is good for five years from the date you are approved.
We urge all international players to arrange required travel documentation early to avoid disappointment.
2nd Annual Clark Evans Memorial Tournament This is a qualifier for #ISCWT2026 DATES: May 23-24, 2026 LOCATION: Darnell Wright Softball Complex, 303 W. Foothills Dr, Newberg, OR 97316 ENTRY FEE: $450.00 FORMAT: Round Robin into single elimination CONTACT: Shayne Arndt UIC: To be determined ISC REP: Keith Erkenbrack
At the 2025 ISC World Tournament in North Mankato, MN, the International Softball Congress conducted its annual Board of Directors meeting. The following changes were made: 1. Long-time ISC Executive Director Larry Fisher resigned his position effective at the end of the 2025 ISC World Tournament. The ISC thanks Larry for his years of service. The ISC will continue its search for a new Executive Director to assume the role. In the interim, the duties of Executive Director will be shared amongst several in the organization. 2. Under Regional definitions, players from Oregon and Washington may play in BC in the Canada West region and be considered in-region and players from BC may play in Oregon and Washington in the US West region and be considered in-region. 3. An ad-hoc committee will be appointed to review the ISC World Tournament Host Committee contract to modernize and update the document. 4. A Legends Tournament standing committee will be struck with a mandate to oversee the ISC Legends Championship Tournament. Updated Legends rules for 2026 drafted by the Legends Committee have already been approved by the Board and posted. 5. For ISC World Tournament umpires, travel fees will increase from $2000 to $4000 for contracts starting in 2028. Similarly, game fees will increase by $5 per year starting in 2028. The ISC Umpire-in-Chief will also provide evaluations for umpires working their first ISC World Tournament. As previously announced: • The ISC will welcome Canadian players Jeff Ellsworth and Ian Fehrman, Argentine pitcher Lucas Mata, manager Jeff Borror, former ISC President Dean Oscar and long-time Gremlins sponsor Bruce Tanski to the Hall of Fame at the 2026 Induction Ceremony. For more information on the ISC, please visit www.iscfastpitch.com.