Sweet Home Alabama

D1 Huntsville saw its inaugural testing night on Thursday the 31st. To make sure that Huntsville Facility Coordinator, Corey Remillard, could handle everything that this event entailed, D1 Corporate sent its top Marketing & PR assistants, Jaci Hills and Cory Blankenship, to oversee things. Cory, a Nashville native, took the role of driving while Jaci, a transplant from Chicago, acted as co-pilot and enjoyed the sights of her first venture into Alabama.

The trip began on a slightly disappointing note for Hills. The unfortunate placement of a landscaping crew prevented her from achieving her goal of taking a new facebook profile picture by the “Welcome to Alabama” sign. Luckily, though, soon after entering Alabama the two were able to stop by the Saturn space rocket replica located on the side of I-65 and take a few entertaining pictures. Hills was especially captivated with a stone monument with the inscription “ALABAMA We Dare Defend Our Rights” which she described as “so typically southern.”

The remainder of the drive down was fairly uneventful with the exception of Remillard’s multiple calls to Blankenship’s cell phone in a failed effort to avoid Jaci’s ruthless trash talking that began nearly three months ago when they first began conducting business over the phone. The Huntsville Facility Coordinator thought that he could handle this feisty Purdue grad, but had no idea what was in store for him.

The exchange of smack talk which began at the introductions was one that will go down in the history books. Hills responded to the handshake of the vertically challenged Remillard with the quip “I thought you’d be taller.” Remillard retaliated with a list of “10 things I hate about you” on the facility’s dry erase board. His list included items such as:
•Your shoes
•Pitiful attempts at making fun of me
•Jealous of me

He gave a valiant effort throughout the day, but ultimately Remillard’s attempts to one up Hills fell far short.

The actual Testing Night event turned out to be rather successful for Huntsville’s first attempt at it. Over 50 individuals turned out to participate, and the activities were well received by friends and families of the athletes. Highlights of the night included:
•Seeing Remillard tackled multiple times throughout the night by 8 year olds, roughly his same height
•Seeing an executive member run the 40 in 4.9 seconds
•Capturing Remillard dancing on video camera
•Not having the police called on noise complaints

All in all… a good night. A lot of athletes were tested, a lot of trash was talked, and the rivalry between Nashville and Huntsville only grew stronger. Next time, the gloves come off and we stop playing games.

Watch the video below to see Corey dance!