Nick Schuyler survived the fishing trip but had to witness the three others who went with him die, two of them dying in his arms. All four of them played football including Corey and Marquis playing for the National Football League. Will and Nick had been friends ever since they meet in college and were a big part of each other's daily lives. All four of these young men exhibited outstanding perseverance, grit, and courage that the average person would have never been able to show in order to survive until the end or as long as they did on the overturned boat
24 year old Nick Schuyler is not only the author of the book Not Without Hope, but he is also one of the main characters. 6 feet 2 and weighing 239 pounds, Nick went to Chardon High in Ohio where he graduated in 2003. There, he played football and basketball and quit football after his sophomore year in order to concentrate on basketball until an injury prevented him from playing in college. Before the injury, he played for the third team all-state and averaged 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. After attending Kent State for college in Ohio for two years, he decided he needed a change and moved to Tampa, Florida in 2005. Compared to Ohio, Nick describes Florida as “a permanent vacation.” (Not Without Hope. Page 19) In Tampa, Nick went to the University of South Florida and decided to try football again. After five years of not playing football, in February 2006, he made the team as a walk-on. After college Nick Schuyler became a personal trainer and worked out at L.A. Fitness in Lutz, Florida. At the gym, he met Marquis and Corey. Before meeting them, he had become best friends with Will, meeting him at college. Along with his friends, Nick has a sister, Kristen, a girlfriend, Paula, and his parents, who are divorced. Living with him and Paula are their dogs that would cuddle up with the two of them on the couch to watch their favorite sports teams play including the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Indians. Nick has a very outgoing and strong personality and will do anything for the people he loves, especially his Mom and Paula. He has a lot of perseverance and has learned and developed a deep trust with God, whom he knows now lives with his three best friends in heaven, Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley. He continues to thank Him everyday for letting him survive and be able to tell the truth and not let his mom or his girlfriend have to go to his funeral. Using his athletic abilities, perseverance, and grit, Nick was able to survive.
(Not Without Hope, Pages 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, and 17)
(Not Without Hope, Pages 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, and 17)
Being best friends to both Nick and Paula, Will Bleakley spent a lot of time with both both of them whether it was tailgating at football games, going to a party, coming over for dinner, or just crashing at their house and spending the night sleeping on their couch. Being 6 feet 3 inches and 230 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, he was known as “a ladies’ man.” From certain anges, he even looks similar to Nick. Will was more than just a friend to Nick and Paula, he was a friend, he was a brother, and to the dogs, he was a “puppysitter” and a “dog walker.” From 2002 to 2006, Will played tight end for the University of South Florida and met Nick. In his senior year, was honorable mention at the All-Big East Conference. At the University of South Florida, he learned to become a very strong swimmer and earned degrees in financing and accounting. Being a terrific athlete and a good student in school, he was considering going back to school to get another degree. Nick owes his life to Will, because without him, he wouldn’t have had a life vest, or the pretzels, or the Gatorade and therefore, he would have perished like the other three. Will showed the most powerful sign of love ~ he gave up his life for his friend.(Not Without Hope, Pages 16 and 17)
Going to the gym was one of the best choices Corey Smith had ever made. There, he met two of his best friends, Nick and Marquis. Being 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 265 pounds, Corey went to the gym often. Football was his life. When he went to high school in Richmond, Virginia, he was nicknamed the Tasmanian Devil. When he went to college and played for North Carolina State, he was marked as “a durable, reliable backup.” After college in 2002, he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he played defensive end. Marquis was on the same team at some point in his career there, but they never really got to know each other as anything more than teammates until later on. After playing for Tampa, he was picked up by the detroit Lions where they had a rough season and lost all 16 of their games. According to Detroit News, Corey was a key team player. His coaches said “Right then and there, his teammates knew he was a team guy first. He’s not the fastest guy. He wasn’t the tallest or biggest guy for a defensive end, but his heart was bigger than everybody else’s.” Corey wasn’t your typical football player, he was curious, loved stories, was quiet and serious until he got to know you, and had a great, loud laugh. He loves sweets, especially brownies and ice cream. Corey was always up to trying to learn how to do new things. He tried yoga, knew how to juggle, liked to mess around with computers, and avoided all potential pregame routines. Corey had seen what had happened to other players who drank alcohol and therefore, he chose to never drink any at all. After playing in the National Football League, he wanted to make a career in coaching. Corey was one of the nicest people that Nick ever knew, and he ended up dying of hypothermia.
(Not Without Hope, Pages 9, 10, and 11)
(Not Without Hope, Pages 9, 10, and 11)
26 year old Marquis Cooper was 6 feet 3 inches and weighed 215 pounds and was one of Nick’s best friends. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. In college, Marquis had several pets including Hoss, a pit bull, Red, a red-tailed boa constrictor, and Vic Damone Jr., a python. He meet Nick at the gym where they became close friends. Working out at the gym pushed both him and Nick to do the “one more rep” or the “one more set.” As a National Football League player drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, he played for five other teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. Marquis was very loving and had a wife, Rebekah, and a daughter, Delaney. Marquis loved to fish and be out on the water where he wished he could spend all of the time in the world with his family. “Fishing, football, and family” were the most important things in his life. He had taken Nick and Corey out on a fishing trip the weekend before and wanted to take them out again as one last hurrah before heading from Florida to Oakland for football training camp. When he left that morning, he left Rebekah, Delaney, and his Boston Terriers, Hercules, Dori, and Winston, not knowing that he would never return. Marquis was the first person to die and died for the same reason as Corey-hypothermia, right in Nick’s arms. He left behind his friends, his family, and all those who love him.
(Not Without Hope, Pages 6 and 7)
(Not Without Hope, Pages 6 and 7)