Nora Curtis is more than just a student-athlete – she’s branching out into the business world.
Nora, a senior boarding student from Skaneateles, N.Y., started her own brand, 24 Athletic Wear. She started this in fall of 2024, featuring ultra cozy sweatshirts, crew necks, and sweatpants. Nora plays Varsity hockey at Williston and is committed to play at Cornell University next year.
Her hockey number, 24, is more than just a number. She has created a brand that represents her and has gained popularity with students at Williston within the last few weeks.
On her website, https://www.24athleticwear.com/, people can pick colors and customize logos of their choice.
With the help of her dad, Nora is hoping to be able to build her brand.
Nora’s dad, Bill Curtis, has been making jerseys and clothing for sports team for a long time.
“My dad is in that type of branch of business-like making sports jerseys and team warmups,” Nora said. “I grew up messing around on his computer software and designing unique jerseys. This past summer I thought of the idea to make my own line of hoodies and sweats. With my dad’s help, I came up with the idea of a hoodie using my hockey number as the logo.”
Since “24 Athletic Wear” has had success, there are plans to expand.
“I started with just hoodies, and we are already looking at new joggers, open leg pants, new crew necks, and even some new colors. I hope to expand to more people around the area,” she said.
Nora started the brand this fall but was nervous to make it public.
“I was a little nervous that people were going to make fun of me or not buy anything,” she said. “With the help of my friends like Violet [Carroll] and Elle [Ash] we made an Instagram account not even two weeks ago for the brand and [it] has already helped gain a lot of attention.”
Nora’s dad has been her biggest support and help with the brand.
“My dad hasn’t only helped me create a website but is also keeping inventory up and shipping out orders while I’m at school,” she said. “And without some of my closest friends Violet, Elle, and Kat [Mayer] I probably wouldn’t have made the Instagram account and branched out to other people at the school. Obviously, everyone who has supported me by buying and spreading the word about my brand has made this small idea come a long way.”
Many great things have already been said about Nora’s 24 Athletics line.
Graham Williams, a senior boarder, recently bought his first piece of 24 Athletic Wear and he absolutely loves it. “They are probably the comfiest sweatpants that I own, and I would definitely buy a hoodie to match and much more on the website,” he said.
Graham loves how the clothes fit him.
“As someone that is tall it’s hard to find sweatpants that aren’t too short, but the 24 sweatpants fit perfectly,” he said.
Daryn Fox, a junior boarder from Bermuda, loves the clothing.
“I love how thick and ‘heavy’ the material is, it keeps me very warm,” she said. “The sweatshirts are perfect for the cold New England winters.”
Daryn said she wears the sweatshirt all the time.
“it is super comfortable … I would wear it every day if I could,” she said, adding that she will “most definitely buy another sweatshirt.”
Jack Nolan, a junior from Arizona, is also happy with the quality of the products.
“I like that it is super warm and there were a lot of different options to get,” he said. Jack particularly likes the hoodie and sweatshirts.
Mina Sugiyama, a senior from Tokyo, Japan, loves the hoodies and sweatpants, not just for the comfort, but for how the clothes give her a chance to support her friend.
“I love how I can represent my friend and spread this brand to the people I know because it really is worth the money and I wear them all the time,” she said.
Many athletes gain popularity and brand deals once they start playing in college. Some athletes start their own brand and others sign with existing companies.
Nora is far from the first athlete to capitalize on her success and branch into other business ventures.
Charlotte North, now a professional women’s lacrosse player, has gained major popularity in the world of lacrosse. Charlotte entered the transfer portal in May of 2019. She then transferred from Duke to Boston College, where her lacrosse career took off. She gained major popularity within the younger lacrosse community.
She capitalized on her name, image, and likeness (NIL) in 2022 by starting her own brand, Charlotte North Lacrosse.
While Nora is not the first student athlete to create a brand on her name and number, starting the company while still in high school is a move not many student athletes are making yet.
