Scot Marcin, 35 - Cottontown, Tenn.

It’s hard to think there has been a champion of the Total Outdoorsman Challenge not named Paul Thompson, but Marcin won the TOC in 2005. Last year Thompson just edged Marcin for first place overall.

“The first one, we had no idea what was going to happen,” Marcin says. “Every year it grows expectation-wise. You know some of the competition and some of the skills, but they’re always changing. I think it makes it more challenging, and that’s what it’s all about.”

From the beginning, the shooting events have always been a strong point for Marcin, a regional director for Delta Waterfowl in Tennessee. His weaknesses in the past have been the flyfishing and archery events, but of course he’s been working on them for this year’s competition.

Most of Marcin’s outdoor experience growing up came from his father and grandfather, but he says he gets his competitive drive from his mother, Patricia. The combination of all family members taught him what the outdoors is all about: “It’s called hunting and fishing, it’s not killing and catching,” Marcin says. “It’s watching the sun rise and the world wake up.”

- Lance Madden

David “Smitty” Smith, 40, Roswell, Georgia

Plenty of outdoorsman entered the wild-card contest for the last remaining spot in the TOC finals. It wasn’t an easy decision, but in the end we chose David Smith. “I am humbled and excited [to compete],” Smith said. “The TOC is the most exciting opportunity that I have ever had, and I am extremely grateful to be given the chance to compete.”

Smith says he goes through phases when it comes to hunting and fishing. “For a while I was all about the bass fishing,” he says. “Then, in my twenties, I couldn’t flyfish for trout enough.” To satisfy that passion, Smith worked as a professional flyfishing guide for seven years.

As for hunting, Smith loves to hunt waterfowl with his Black Lab, Chica—who Smith trained. “My wife complains that my dog is more well travelled than she is,” he says. “Chica and I have hunted together in a dozen states, plus Canada.” These days, however, Smith is really focused on big-game hunting. “I am especially eager to do some of the more physically challenging hunts. I love that.”

Smith says his biggest advantage going into the TOC is his attitude. “I can’t be concerned about how experienced the other competitors are,” he says. “I know there are better archers than me in this contest. And better gunners. But my fishing skills are likely on par as are my ATV handling and endurance skills. My ability to maintain a positive attitude, prepare properly, and to stay focused when the pressure is on can give me a fighting chance to be the next Total Outdoorsman winner.”

We’ll find out come September.

—Colin Kearns

Randy Hendrix, 52, Clemmons, N.C.

Randy Hendrix knows a thing or two about competing on a large, outdoor stage, and he deals with it very well. After winning four archery gold medals in the “Eliminator” event at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games, Hendrix has earned a nickname from fellow archers: The Quiet Intimidator.

Hendrix, the owner of a drywall company, has also competed in Buckmaster competitions, winning more than a dozen world titles. Maybe his participation in so many competitions is the reason he admittedly doesn’t practice much.

“I’m the kind of person that does best under pressure,” says Hendrix, who has shot competitive archery for the past 20 years. “I’ve been part of a lot of competitions. I don’t seem to get too nervous.”

While he’s comfortable with the TOC shooting events, Hendrix has been preparing more for the fishing side of the competition. He hasn’t had too much experience with a fly rod, but he says he’ll be ready in time. Hendrix, the third-place finisher in the Harrisburg Regional, credits his friends for helping to get him ready for all the competitions he’s done well in. “If we don’t help each other, we’re not going to get better,” he says. “Simple as that.”

— Lance Madden

Thomas Cooprider, 41, Pembroke Pines, Fla.

If Thomas Cooprider wins this year’s Total Outdoorsman Challenge, he plans on putting some of the $25,000 in winnings into his 23-foot Wellcraft boat, paying some bills, and taking his nearly 16-year-old twins on a guided hunt in Texas.

Oh yeah, he just might get a tattoo of the Total Outdoor Challenge logo as a reminder. Cooprider, who skateboards and hunts alligators, says he is most confident about the bass fishing portion of the contest. But if one of his earliest fishing experiences was a sign of what was to come in the future, you’d probably guess he’d want nothing to do with fishing at all: When he was still in diapers he threw his father’s custom casting rod over the side of the boat. His father, Pat, still gives him a hard time about it today.

“Now, fishing is what I do,” says Cooprider, who took second in the Grapevine Regional. “You could put me in a puddle and I’d probably catch something.”

The HVAC Technician finished fourth in the TOC last year and third in 2007. He says he’s been working out to get through the endurance challenge, and after last year’s spill he’ll try harder not to tip the canoe. “You lose your focus for one second and it makes the difference between winning and not winning,” he says.

Pembroke Pines’ local tattoo artist is sure hoping Coop can keep his focus.

—Lance Madden