Boise State's "gothlete" is giving beach volleyball a radical new image

Happy Thursday,

I hope you enjoy today’s dispatch. It was a fun one to report, thanks to a fascinating subject and Boise State’s helpfulness, which is not always the norm. We strive to bring you unique stories every week.

— Kyle

Boise State's "gothlete" is giving beach volleyball a radical new image

The Boise State beach volleyball team was in the middle of film study when Nora Hayd’s Instagram alerts buzzed with the urgency of a crisis. 

She was bewildered by the activity, unaware she was already a viral online sensation. 

Last fall, Hayd’s official team headshot circulated online, showing her red-and-black hair, septum piercing, elaborate makeup and eyeliner and a tattoo snaking up her right arm — instantly making her a curiosity. The photo was more rock band album cover than sun-kissed beach volleyball pictorial. And at a time when individualism in college athletics sells big, Hayd saw an opportunity. 

“I’m really introverted, really shy,” the soft-spoken, often timid Hayd told NIL Wire. “I didn’t know what to think at all. But I also saw all the career potential in front of me immediately. As everyone’s becoming an influencer, I feel like I just got really lucky because I have the possibility and the platform now to maybe do whatever I want.”

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