The Washington Nationals’ fourth inning Presidents Race looked a little different on Saturday (June 9) — as Teddy, Abe and Tom rushed to catch up with George, they hit an obstacle in the form of six smaller presidents.
Arms outstretched, the little presidents — boys from Abingdon Elementary School — blocked the racers from passing, while a seventh student, dressed as Nats mascot Screech, waited to greet a victorious George at the finish line.
“The boys were just freaking out,” parent Catherine Ladd said. “They were like, ‘This is epic, this is amazing.’”
Their path to Nationals Park began last Halloween, when all seven boys attended a parade at their elementary school wearing paper mache George, Tom, Bill, Herbie, Teddy and Screech heads to go with Nationals jerseys and baseball gear.
Ladd spent five weeks crafting the costumes, and things escalated quickly from there. Parents at the parade tweeted pictures to the Nationals, a team representative called the next day and the racing presidents themselves were at Abingdon Elementary the following Monday (Nov. 6) to invite the boys to a race, Ladd said.
“I never thought that we’d ever get the invitation to go down to Nats [Park]… I was just hoping [the costumes] looked okay at the end,” Ladd said.
Given that it has been 13 years since their inaugural season, the Nationals are older than the “Little Presidents” themselves, making them part of “the first generation that’s die-hard Nats fans as kids,” Ladd said.
“Seeing the Nationals do this for them was such a special experience and such a treat and so kind of them,” she said.
Several of the boys participated in Arlington Little League playoff games Saturday morning before heading to the stadium.
“It was kind of cool to see [them] live out their major league dreams in a way,” Ladd said.
Before racing, the Little Presidents also got to spend some time with their bigger counterparts and collect autographs.
“The presidents and Screech [signed] a ball for each of the kids,” Ladd said. “For them, that’s just as cool as a major league baseball player.”
As for next Halloween, Ladd has a feeling the Little Presidents might make another appearance.
“I think this is going to be the gift that keeps on giving,” she said.
