About Travel Teams

The Headfirst Gamers program began in 2001 with a single 12U travel team and currently features hard-working ballplayers each season between the ages of 13 and 18. The program aims to develop youth baseball players in a positive yet demanding learning environment free of parental coaching influence on the practice and game field. All of our practices and teams are run by our trained professional coaching staff - with the Gamers, parents are fans only! In 2004, the Headfirst Gamers were recognized as a national award-winning organization by the Positive Coaching Alliance. In 2007, the Washington D.C. Home Plate Club named us their Youth Organization of the Year.

All Headfirst Gamers practices and games are run by Headfirst's full-time Directors and Headfirst's professional trained coaching staff.

Headfirst Gamers Directors

• Brendan Sullivan (Headfirst Co-Executive Director; Stanford graduate, AAA San Diego Padres)
• Justin Cronk (Headfirst Gamers Assistant General Manager; Amherst College; former college coach)
• Steve Devine (Headfirst Gamers Assistant General Manager; former college Head Coach - Indiana Tech)
• John Bramlette (Headfirst Gamers Assistant General Manager; Haverford College)

All Directors and coaches undergo regular training on baseball fundamentals and techniques as well as on positive coaching and communication methods that emphasize safety and fun.

Whether players hope to make a middle school, high school, or college team, the primary objective of our Headfirst Gamers Travel Teams is to provide players with the skills necessary to play baseball at the next level in their career. Headfirst will continue emphasizing the building blocks of the Gamer "personality," but focus more heavily on the physical and mental tools required for higher-level baseball. At this stage of a Gamer's development, Headfirst will use showcase and tournament exposure and detailed positional instruction to achieve this objective. All of our Travel Teams are professionally coached.

Complementing this instruction, Gamers coaches teach lessons on coachability and personal responsibility, team concepts, self-confidence and social skills that constitute the ideal Gamer personality and approach to athletics. It is crucial that these concepts are emphasized throughout an athlete's career to improve skill development retention and efficiency.

All Gamers Travel Teams are professionally coached.

Eligibility & Season Format

During the spring, a ballplayer's Gamers age is his age on April 30th of the playing year. During the fall season, the playing age is the age a player will be the following April 30th.

Example: If a player turns 16 in December, he is considered a 16U player in the fall before that birthday, and also the spring and summer that follows it.

The Headfirst Gamers Directors may decide to play a ballplayer up an age level if they deem it appropriate.

Middle School Gamers Travel Program (13U & 14U)

Potential Teams Each Season:

• Spring (March 15 – July 4) or Summer (June 1 – August 1) Season
• Possible Fall Season (September through early November)
• Primarily local games (www.nvtbl.org) with a few travel tournaments
• Maximum of 1 team at each age group per year (and sometimes we will not field a team)
• 2 or 3 professional coaches per team
• No out-of-area players

High School Gamers Travel Program (15U – 18U & National Team)

Potential Teams Each Season:

• Summer Season only (June 1 – August 1)
• Primarily local games (www.nvtbl.org) with a few travel tournaments
• 1 team at this age group per year
• 2 or 3 professional coaches per team
• No out-of-area players

• Summer Season only (June 1 – August 1)
• Primarily local games (www.nvtbl.org) with a few travel tournaments (including Myrtle Beach if schedule works)
• Co-hosts of Headfirst Summer Classic @ Naval Academy
• 2 teams at this age group per year depending on tryout interest and talent level
• 2 or 3 coaches per team
• Up to 2 - 3 invited out-of-area players per team

• Summer Season Myrtle Beach Tournament only as of ‘09
• 2 coaches per team
• John Bramlette, GM
• For more information, please click here

Locations, Uniforms & Fees

Practice and Game Field Locations

Gamers practices will take place at fields located in NW Washington DC. We will announce our locations for each season as early as possible, but due to the DC permit process, these locations are always subject to some change as the season approaches.

Potential Practice Field Locations Please note these locations are always subject to change

• Guy Mason Playground (3600 Calvert St. NW, Washington, DC 20007)
• Friendship Playground (4500 Van Ness St. NW, Washington, DC 20016)
• St. Albans School (Garfield and 34th Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20016
• Banneker (Maury Wills) Field (2500 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington DC)

Potential Game Field Locations:
Our Gamers Travel Teams compete in the Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League and play games in DC as well as the MD and VA suburbs. We also compete in tournaments in different east coast (primarily mid-Atlantic) locations.

Weather/Cancellations

In the case of inclement weather, we will do everything we can to get our practices and games in if at all possible. That being said, there will usually be cancellations during the season. We have a weather line that is continuously updated on days where the weather or field conditions are shaky (202) 625-1921 [press 9 for weather line]. Rainouts are built into the schedule – in other words, we do not leave an empty weekend at the end of the season for makeups; instead, we schedule all available weekends with the understanding that there will often be rainouts and some events will be cancelled. The season will never be extended beyond the stated end date.

Uniforms

One of the things we will emphasize to all of our Gamers during our seasons is to have respect for their baseball uniform and to learn how to wear it properly. All Gamers will be required to purchase a practice uniform that includes a Headfirst hat, black Headfirst practice shirt, white baseball pants with black pinstripes, a black baseball belt, and black socks. Each Gamer will be given a performance wear jersey that is included in the registration fee. Additional uniform information will be available after registration.

Season Fees

The Gamers season fee is due in full with registration. This season fee is all-inclusive, with the exception of the practice uniform items (see above).

For up-to-date fee information, please click here.

For Gamers Scholarship Program information, please click here.