(contributed by Hillary Evans and Lindsey Bynum)

Participants into Nashville to compete in the Field & Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge, which took place at CMA Music Festival in Fort Nashboro on Saturday, June 12. The competitors, made up of the top 200 scorers from nationwide qualifying rounds, battled in the hot sun over several individual challenges such as archery, endurance, bait casting, and air rifle shooting, hoping to be among the three who would move on to finals in September at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Missouri.

The archery and air rifle events were fairly straightforward, with clear targets for contenders to shoot. In bait casting, competitors cast their fishing lines into small pools, with targets demarcating how many points each throw earned. Finally, in the endurance challenge, contestants had to complete a series of actions, first collecting decoy ducks in a bag, and then loading the bags on the back of an ATV and securing them with bungee cords. After completing this, participants had to correctly fasten a safety vest around their midsection and legs. Then, they were expected to correctly put bait on a fishing line and finish by lighting a small fire out of string, a cotton ball, flint, Vaseline, and hand sanitizer.

The number of competitors, which consisted wholly of men, was pared down as it moved from event to event, as their excited families watched on in support. “I’ve been out here since it started,” said Andrew Striker, 16, of Valparaiso, Ind. “My dad (competitor Craig Holodick, 47) loves to hunt and fish.” When asked how he thought his father would fare in the competition, Striker replied, “He’s doing pretty good. I say top three.”

Even the youngest observers expressed their support vigorously, as little Wyatt Grimes, 4, from Ball Ground, Ga., poked his head through the barriers that separated the competitors from the audience, and yelled, “Go, Daddy, go!”

The intensity of competition was overwhelming. “Dusty  (Bishop, 29, of Asheville, N.C.) has competed in different events before, but this is his first time in field and stream,” said Adam Bryson, 29, also of Asheville. “But he’s gonna smoke the competition.”

Danny Baker, 45, from Clarksville, Ind., stated, “This is my second year and I’m hoping to qualify this time, but it’s all about having fun while you do it and I know I am!”

In the end, after the judges ended deliberations, the results were announced.  Frankie Walls, 34, from Woodleaf, N.C., took third place with 44 points.  First- and second-place winners both had 28 points, so top honors went to the finalist with the fastest time completed: Josh Marker, 28, from New Paris, Ohio. “It feels great to win, there are no words to explain it,” Marker exclaimed.  “It’s such a great accomplishment!”  Second place went to three-time Total Outdoorsman Challenge winner Paul Thompson, 35, of Marion, N.C.

After receiving the winning plaque, Marker explained how he prepared for this event, “Believe it or not, I’ve done this stuff my whole life. To give it the extra edge, I have an obstacle course set up at my house that I run through on a daily basis.  It really paid off.”