re: *Official* Tuscaloosa things thread

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Michelin North America last week announced plans for an $8 million expansion at its BFGoodrich plant in Tuscaloosa.

The 29,000-square-foot facility, which has been operating for more than 70 years, is set to see a 215 percent increase in space available with the construction of the additional storage space. The company currently employs roughly 1,360 at the plant. It remains unclear how many jobs will be added as a result of the expansion.

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I wish they would just keep it at the amphitheater, or maybe at the plaza

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For the fifth time since 2007, Tuscaloosa will play host to the Collegiate Triathlon Club National Championships in 2017. Triathlon Clubs from schools all over the country will travel to the Druid City to take part in the annual event that includes a swim, bike and run through a course designed around Tuscaloosa Amphitheater.

"The reason why we're coming back is the city support has been unparalleled," said Tim Yount, USA Triathlon's chief operating officer. "I truthfully cannot recall a time in our years here at USAT that we've had a city that has been able to remotely match what Tuscaloosa has done."

Although no official date for the event has been set yet, In recent years, the Collegiate National Championships have been held in late April, including the most recent championships, which were held from April 22-23 at Clemson, S.C.

Especially eager to have the event in Tuscaloosa is the University of Alabama Triathlon Club, which annually competes in the Collegiate National Championships. Tuscaloosa was originally chosen as the destination for the competition after the triathlon club submitted an application and approved course to have the championships held in its own backyard.

"We're extremely excited to have it here. It'll bring attention to our team so, hopefully, people in the area will come out and support all of the racers," club secretary Natalie Haffner said. "It also means our team won't have to pay (for) hotels and travel. That's a really huge bonus for us."

Given this is the fifth time the even has been held in Tuscaloosa, it's clear the city has become a hub for triathlon competition on the university level and beyond. The city also hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials for triathlon ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Whenever you can find a location like (Tuscaloosa), you really owe it to yourself and your athletes and your coaches and others to go back to that city and reward that city with an economic impact that they can appreciate," Yount said.

Based on the reaction the UA Triathlon Club has received from teams at other schools, Tuscaloosa appears to have become a premier destination for the triathlon community throughout the country.

"They seem to really like coming here, which I why they're doing the championships in Tuscaloosa again," club vice president Jessica Lambert said. "We've been hearing from a lot other teams that are excited about coming here.

"We're hoping to get everyone to see the city and come to love Tuscaloosa."

The Collegiate Championships played host to more than 120 teams 1,200 total athletes in 2016. The event is broken into three different events: Individuals can compete at the sprint-distance, consisting of a half-mile swim, a 12.4-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run, or at the standard Olympic distances of a 0.93-mile swim, 24.8-mile bicycle ride and 6.2-mile run.

In addition to the individual events, athletes can also form mixed relay teams, made up of two men and two women, in which each athlete completes a shortened swim, bike and run.

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Insomnia Cookies is coming to T-town according to their Twitter. They deliver warm cookies till 3 a.m. What a world we live in.

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