Happy Opening Day! Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a professional mascot? How about one of the running presidents for the Washington Nationals?


Stephanie Montgomery, a National Geographic employee, tried out to be a racing president in February. During tryouts, the four "presidents" (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt) had to run a race around the baseball diamond. in full costume while wearing a giant head! Montgomery says that the giant head "was not as heavy as I had feared, but it was very awkward. I had listened to some tips
from some of the other folks who had run already, and knew that you should lean back for balance and comfort, but push your head forward for vision. It also seemed that small choppy steps were the way to go.




Photograph courtesy Kate Baylor