- March 29, 2024
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Fifteen-year-old Nicolas Lott was the adventurous type who lived for adrenaline, the love of his family and friends — and as those closest to him would know — his cherished bottles of Log Cabin Syrup.
Described as vivacious, friendly, intelligent and athletic, Nick was not afraid to try anything new, which he demonstrated with his penchant of coming home every so often with injuries and fractures.
“I met him in Bible class, and I was like, ‘This kid is so cool,’ and then the next day I saw him with a cast on his arm,” said Trase Shelton, 16, who met Nick in seventh grade and instantly become best friends. “When I asked, he told me he broke it playing football.”
Despite the frequent injuries, Nick could not be contained at home or successfully persuaded to stick to tamer sports with a lower risk of injuries, such as golf or tennis, said Nick’s mother, Gina Lott.
“He also played football; he liked all the sports you might get hurt in,” Gina Lott said. “He played tennis for a while, and then he just decided it wasn’t that exciting. He played golf and was really good at it, but he thought it was boring.”
To satiate his appetite for fun, Nick instead played lacrosse on his school’s team, went snowboarding with his dad on annual ski trips to Colorado, skateboarded with his friends and played basketball.
A FREE-SPIRITED GOOFBALL
Born Sept. 28, 2002, Nick was a freshman at Windermere High School when he died following head injuries sustained during a jet-ski accident Sunday, Feb.11, on Lake Whitney.
As one who lived life as a free-spirit with a constant smile on his face, Nick always was surrounded by friends and left behind several broken hearts.
“I don’t think he knew it, but everyone was so drawn to him,” Shelton said. “He was a huge leader, and people always followed him around. He always had a smile on his face — at school and everywhere. He was always happy.”
Nick’s father, Michael Lott, described Nick as a sweet and considerate boy who never judged others and embraced everyone with open arms and a smile.
“He was such a good kid,” Michael Lott said. “He was an even better kid than we knew. We’ve been talking to a lot of his friends, and he had so many different types of friends. Nick didn’t judge anybody.”
Nick also did not care much for being judged. Being a silly kid who easily grew bored, he launched a comedic YouTube channel with his best friend Shelton called “Advanced Food Review,” which involved the consumption and critique of food items, and even non-food items. One time, he sprayed Shelton’s Hugo Boss cologne into his mouth.
NICK’S LAW
Antics such as those, combined with his charming personality, are what earned Nick the strong support of the community and a memorial wall at Windermere High filled with notes and flowers.
“There’s a big stucco wall at the school, and the kids started to put flowers and reminders of Nick on the wall,”Michael Lott said.“And they started to sign the wall. But the school said they can’t sign the wall, so the school put some paper up to let them sign that instead. But the kids refused to sign the paper and continued signing the wall.”
The school has stated it will have to paint the wall, leading students to start a petition, added Michael Lott. The school has now suggested placing a friendship bench in the school’s courtyard dedicated to Nick.
The commitment of his school peers to keep his memory alive is appreciated by his parents, who also wish to honor his memory by petitioning state legislators to create a new law.
“I want to pass a law, and I’m not going to stop until I do,” said Gina Lott. “I’m going to call it Nick’s Law. I think we should make it so that anyone under age 18 is required to wear a helmet whenever they’re participating in a water sport, because I think if Nick had a helmet on, he would still be here.”
Michael Lott is ready to assume the work it will take to implement the law. He firmly believes it would be well worth it — both for Nick and others.
“It’s just a little thing,” Michael Lott said, referring to the idea of Nick’s Law. “But maybe it can help save someone else.”