ESPN's Darren Rovell And The Fitness Model: A Brief History [Update]

May 11, 2009: Darren Rovell writes about Nora Tobin, a model he's never heard of whom he saw in an advertisement on his CNBC blog:

I'm obviously visiting my own blog here plenty of times each day just to make sure everything looks good. So I was caught off-guard when I saw an ad for FRS energy drink that didn't feature the usual endorser, Lance Armstrong.

Instead, the ad featured a gorgeous, ripped woman named Nora Tobin. As you can see here, it says that Nora is a "pro beach volleyball player."

May 14, 2009: Darren Rovell interviews Nora Tobin, a model he'd never heard until he saw her in an advertisement on his blog. The story doubles as free advertisement for an advertiser advertising on his blog.

Last week, we called attention to the ad that is sweeping the Internetby storm.

If you cruise around enough, you've seen it. It's a picture of a woman named Nora Tobin and she's endorsing a brand called FRS Energy.

The ad told us that Tobin was a volleyball player, but beyond that, we were lost. We had never heard of her.

May 19, 2013: Darren Rovell sends out a tweet expressing his pride in Nora Tobin, a model he'd never heard of until he saw her in an advertisement on his blog in 2009:

One of Rovell's followers responds to the tweet and accuses Rovell of being a #dirtbag:

Rovell responds by claiming that he has been friends with Nora Tobin for a decade, even though he'd never heard of until he saw her in an advertisement on his blog in 2009. A decade ago, Nora Tobin would've been 15:

Update: Rovell acknowledges that his memory is just a bit foggy.

This:

And this:

h/t Jon