The Pitch: “Come see what we do and who we are, we’d love for you to tell our story.”

When Justin Spring called Chris Korotky and me to pitch a road trip recruiting series and invite us to spend a day with the Bamaly, the answer was an immediate and resounding yes. Going behind the scenes, telling the stories from the athletes’ and coaches’ perspectives, capturing their sentiments and personalities, and sharing their thoughts is what we love most at Inside, so the opportunity to spend a full 24 hours as a recruit was super-intriguing. 

​By now, you may have seen the video coverage on our Instagram @InsideGym, YouTube, and InsideGym.com with training and tour footage from our own Nate Salsman, and Bama’s social media master Evan Manivong, but there’s a few more thoughts I wanted to share about our experience while we wait for the team to take the floor tonight—what ultimately made it an experience that quickly jumped into my top 3 in the almost 12 years I’ve been with Inside Gym… Why Bama? Why, if I were many,many years younger, I’d probably be in the transfer portal right about now. And why I drove home with “Sweet Home, Alabama” on repeat.

10. Welcome to Tuscaloosa

Even before we officially arrived on campus, we got a preview of our jam-packed schedule, and later on, a welcome package at the hotel that was so stealthy delivered by none other than assistant coach Amelia Hundley. It included our itinerary for the day, the Crimson Tide’s 2026 Schedule, Campus Visitors Guide, a Bama notebook of course, and a personal note which read: “Dear Christy, So excited to have you T-town! Get ready to see what the Bamaly is all about!”

The next morning at 7:45 a.m. sharp, we were off and running.

After being picked up personally by head coach Ashley Priess Johnston herself, Nate and I met up with Amelia, assistant coach “Roll Tide” Ross Thompson, and Mr. Manivong (officially their Events and Program Relations Coordinator) at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Tuscaloosa to kick off what would be a whirlwind day. Breakfast was all pre-ordered and set down about 10 minutes after we arrived. It was a great setting. With even greater company and conversation.

9. “Tell Me Your Life Story”

The first time I covered Amelia Hundley as an Elite athlete was at the 2016 Olympic Trials. While everything was chaotic and pressure-packed at that competition, Amelia had the meet of her life there. I’ll never forget her smile radiating up to the rafters, as she appeared grateful for the experience and satisfied with what she accomplished. Relaying that story to her in person at breakfast after all of this time was so special and very full circle. She asked about my life story, and we bonded over cat eye chrome manicures (I went with the reddest red for this trip, of course), the comforting importance of just holding that first warm cup of coffee, and what we loved most about our jobs.