The average human head weighs between 10-12 pounds, but the mascot heads for the beloved Washington Nationals Presidents are about five times that. Which means when suited up as Thomas Jefferson during a tryout for the coveted mascot spot, I had one goal in mind: To not fall down.

The tryouts, which were held at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, seemed simple at first. Potential future Presidents submitted their applications complete with resumes — many had prior mascot experience or had played college sports — and were chosen to compete in in-person tryouts. During the tryouts, the 32 potential Presidents gathered in heats of three to compete a 40-yard dash, a run from first base to centerfield and back, a victory pose and a freestyle dance. Because of the costume, I can assure you, this was much harder than it sounds.

“I had about three moments where I thought it was going to tip over,” said Matthew, a longtime Nationals fan who was trying out. “If you lean forward at all and don’t catch yourself, you’ll faceplant.”

(It should be noted that someone did in fact faceplant, prompting everyone trying out to breathe a giant sigh of relief that they wouldn’t be the first one to do that.)

Then, there was an interview in front of a panel where potential Presidents were asked questions about their experience, how they felt during the tryout and to do things like use random props like a wig in an improv-comedy like scene.

So what do they look for in a president?

“Definitely someone who has an ability to run, that’s an obvious part because they’re racers,” said Tom Davis, the Nationals’ senior manager of entertainment. “But also personality takes a big part of it as well. Do they understand they need big movements versus a little high five, they need to make it bigger. So personality plays a big role.”

As a reporter, there were certain rules I had to follow to keep the Disney-like mystique of the Presidents alive. I was not allowed to take pictures of people with the Presidents’ suits half-on (the idea being you should never see the face of the person inside the costume.) When wearing the President costume, I wasn’t allowed to talk. I wasn’t allowed to ask for last names. I was allowed to ask if they had tried out to be a President before but could not ask if they had actually made it. The Presidents do have to try out every year — though it wasn’t clear how many were new this year.

“There are a few guys that have tried out before that are here today,” Davis said, the most information he would offer.

And though many of them have now been notified that they will have the privilege of suiting up on gameday next season, they will never be allowed to tell me that they made it. When asked how much they got paid, Davis responded that it was a “part-time seasonal job.” In addition to games, the Presidents also make appearances at private and community events.

I did it because the Presidents, despite having grown up in Baltimore, have always been one of my favorite parts of baseball (at least as long as they’ve been around). They’re perfect: The head bob (which I learned is in fact unintentional and just really a result of the weight of the mascot head) is hilarious. There’s underdog storylines and citywide celebrations when Teddy Roosevelt finally won a race (when asked if the race was ever rigged, Davis said such a suggestion was “blasphemy”.) And it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of a city.

But mostly, having been told before that I wasn’t actually allowed to make it, I was just in it for the fun of saying I had gotten to do it. My competitors? They were much more serious — and had the resumes and preparation to go with it.

Take Jeff, who is a mascot at the middle school where he teaches physical education and also for the minor league club, the Frederick Keys (and also if I had to guess, made it as one of the Presidents). “I’m trying to get called up to the big leagues if I can,” he said.

Of the 32 potential presidents, only one woman tried out — Erin, who spent the week running with her children on her shoulders for practice running with the weight. A lifelong baseball fan who has interned for the Orioles and worked for the Redskins, she saw a tweet from Teddy Roosevelt’s account asking for applications while she was recovering from pink eye.

“When I was little I always wanted to be in (public relations) or marketing in sports and I had teased for a long time that I was going to be a mascot. My parents were like ‘we’re not sending you to 12 years of private school so you can dance on a dugout in tights and blah blah’ and it’s just really funny to me now that I’m 35 and they’re like ‘I can’t wait to come to the tryout.'”

Spectators (other than reporters) weren’t allowed at the tryouts though, so her parents were stuck waiting “with baited breath” to hear how it went. The friends and coworkers she told were beyond excited.

“I literally had people telling me this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Like I would tell someone at work, one of my colleagues, and I would say ‘I don’t know do you think (my work schedule will allow the) flexibility …'”

Their response?

“You have to do this,” they told her. “This is a dream come true for so many people.”