SARANAC LAKE – If graduating from college could be considered starting a new chapter in life, Mark Bouquin may just have written a novel.

A 2012 graduate of Paul Smith’s College, Bouquin experienced an opportunity of a lifetime, and made the most of it by winning $250,000 this summer for taking first place on the reality television show “American Grit,” which airs on the Fox network.

But that’s just part of the story for Bouquin, a Western New York native who was dubbed the “Lumberjack” on the new series that premiered on Fox in April and included 10 episodes.

The series was actually filmed during November and December last year in the state of Washington in the shadow of Mount Rainier, but Bouquin had to keep the outcome to himself until the final episode was shown on Fox on June 9. The day before, Bouquin became a new father when his girlfriend Melissa Dancy gave birth to their first son, Jamison Tyler Bouquin.

“My baby was born June 8 and the finale of the series was June 9,” Bouquin said. “That was a crazy week. When it ended and we won, it was a pretty amazing feeling.”

The show is hosted by WWE wrestler John Cena and was renewed for a second season on July 29. American Grit began with 16 competitors divided into teams of four, and required contestants to tackle endurance tests in an outdoor wilderness setting. After six weeks of taping, Bouquin emerged as the show’s co-winner alongside Clare Painter, a teammate of Bouquin’s known as the “Fisherman.”

“We did three days of filming for every episode, six days a week,” Bouquin said. “It was very physically and mentally demanding. It was not easy stuff. They really pushed you.”

Bouquin said he was chosen for the show in a process that began with thousands of applicants. He was actually referred to the show by former Saranac Lake resident Ian Freeburg, who found out the American Grit was seeking a lumberjack-type competitor.

After making it through a whittle-down process, which included trips to Los Angeles and Skype interviews, Bouquin was on his way to Washington for filming along with 15 fellow competitors who he described as really fit. The group included an Olympic gold medalist, a former NFL player, a SWAT officer, a triathlete, a professional wrestler, and a professional bodybuilder among others who came from across the United States.

“When I first got there, I said, ‘These athletes are insane.’ I was probably the only one with any percentage of body fat on me. They were ripped,” Bouquin said. “Really, I was just happy to be there.”

As it turned out, Bouquin, who was on his way to British Columbia for two big woodsmen’s competitions when he did this interview in July, said he was able to utilize a lot of his experiences from his college days at Paul Smith’s to help him get through the American Grit challenges.

Boquin graduated from Paul Smith’s College with two degrees, played rugby for the Bobcats for two years and was on the woodmen’s team for four years and was a captain. He currently lives in the Western New York town of Freedom with his new son and his girlfriend, who he plans to marry in October.

In addition to competing in lumberjack events, Bouquin also makes his living as an arborist. He said that he’s also thinking about taking on another career as a motivational speaker. An avid hiker as well, Bouquin said he plans to come back to the Adirondacks when he gets the chance to climb two more mountains – Allen and Sawteeth – to earn his 46er patch.

Not only did Bouquin walk away from American Grit with the big chunk of prize money, he also left with a lifetime of memories and new-found friends. All the contestants who were eliminated from previous shows were brought back for the final episode, which also featured an appearance by Dancy.

“It was just a fun experience overall,” Bouquin said. “We did have some down time, and that’s really when I got to know everyone and hear their stories. Everyone was a very strong competitor and a great athlete in their own field. I’ve kept in touch with quite a few of them.”

Although the $250,000 that Bouquin won was obviously going to be quite a bit less when the taxman called, he said the money couldn’t have come at a better time.

“For me, it’s family first, and we’re starting a family,” Bouquin said. “Mainly, I can pay off my student loans and car payments. After paying off all my debts, maybe I can invest in my tree work. The best part of this all is I get to start my family with no debt. That’s an ideal situation to be in.”