Nora Hayd: The power of embracing individuality

Photo via Boise State Athletics

Boise State’s beach volleyball sophomore, Nora Hayd, gained thousands of admirers online for her unapologetic self expression as the first known goth athlete in NCAA history.

On Oct. 2 Hayd went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with multiple other social media platforms for her authentic team roster photo. She now serves as a national role model for those struggling to break out against societal norms. 

From her hot pink hair to her bold makeup and piercings, Hayd, otherwise known as “gothlete”, expresses her creativity through her look.

“Don’t be afraid to be different. I know it was really hard for a really long time. Still, kind of is to just stand out, especially as someone who’s super introverted and doesn’t like confrontation,” Hayd said. “This is a lot, but it’s definitely worth it. And I think when you’re true to yourself, you find your people and your purpose a lot easier.”

This is just the beginning for Hayd as she plans to grow her brand through NIL (Name, image and likeness) deals, sponsorships, merchandise and more. 

The viral tweet by “College Sports Only” has 7.8 million views and counting. In addition, the Boise State Beach Volleyball X account grew 22% in followers and received 3.5 million views on a photo of Hayd and her sophomore class.

The Illinois native moved to Seattle, Washington in fourth grade where she fell in love with art. 

“Both my parents are artists,” Hayd said. “So I think having my parents helped me explore different mediums and stretch my ideas. And then also being in the Seattle area, surrounded by all the other art and culture also helped.” 

By senior year of high school, Hayd got into a routine of doing her iconic makeup look every morning. Unfortunately since getting to college, Hayd typically only has time for this look on days without classes or volleyball. 

Hayd’s passion for art ultimately led to her decision to come play at Boise State.

“I went on three visits here just because I wanted to tour the art building, which is super nice. I did go to a lot of other schools to tour for indoor and beach and this by far had the best art program, the nicest facility, and just all the players here were immediately super friendly,” Hayd said. “And I think being from Seattle, it was shocking, and also, the program had so much promise, and I was just ready to grow with it.”

On top of her creative side, Hayd excelled at volleyball since childhood.

The 6’1” athlete began playing volleyball at six years old and immediately knew she wanted to play at a high level.

Hayd fully switched from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball during her junior year of high school, and she found the culture to be much more positive.

“Especially indoor, I feel like that’s a little less accepting,” Hayd said. “ Maybe it was just the club I was at, but being here at Boise, they’ve always encouraged it. I’ve never felt treated differently.”

Hayd did what many people are afraid to do; fully embraced her individuality. The most heartwarming part about her newfound fame is the immense amount of love Hayd received nationwide.

Boise State’s Head Beach Volleyball Coach, Allison Voigt, added that the team dynamic is very supportive and everyone wants the best for each other. 

“What she brings just to the court, and what we really loved about her was more just her confidence of how she plays,” Voigt said. “Her IQ for the game is very natural for her. And also her physicality was something that we were looking for and she had it.”

Hayd has exciting plans for her future in both volleyball and art. 

“Just like Allison said, this fall is just working on technical process oriented stuff, and making it to conference in the spring, and then growing my brand with NIL deals,” Hayd said. “I’m super excited to work with Hot Topic and Liquid Death and to be ambassadors for both of them and travel.”

After Hayd’s emo fashion style was compared to that of Hot Topic, the clothing brand reached out to her for a sponsorship followed by the canned water company, Liquid Death.

Hayd’s sponsorship with Hot Topic flew her to Las Vegas for the “When We Were Young” Music Festival where Hayd took photos for the brand.

On top of everything else, Hayd released t-shirts and sweatshirts on Boise State’s NIL Store on Oct.10. The merchandise hit No.7 on the NIL store rankings last week. She plans on continuing to create designs for additional merchandise.  

Considering the national praise Hayd has received, she could very well stand as the first of many “gothletes” in the NCAA to come. 

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