The Citizen sports staff (well, the two of us) has decided to go out on a limb this NCAA tournament season. In Thursday's print and online editions, we will be publishing our March Madness picks. We may be in the high school market, but there's no better Rite of Spring than filling out a bracket and seeing how long it takes to tear it up into shreds.

I'll leave you with a couple hints leading up to Thursday's picks. Based on a story that came across on the AP wire Tuesday night, I'm conviced President Barak Obama caught wind of my final four picks and passed them off as his own! And I can tell you this: Both myself and Sports Editor Randy Booth, without deliberation, came up with the same pick for the national champion — and it's not one of the four No. 1 seeds!

Follow us on Twitter — @RBoothLC and @Ry_OLeary — to interact with us during the tournament games. And if you're looking to fill out a bracket for a great cause, join the 2012 NCAA March Madness Pool to help raise money for the ForMatt Foundation, which is an organization run by Inter-Lakes High School baseball coach Vint Choiniere in honor of his son Matthew, who was lost at the age of 22 in 2008. The pool requires just a $10 entry fee and awards cash prizes for first ($250), second ($150) and third ($75).

Here's how to join for new members:

1. Go to http://www.runyourpool.com/join.cfm to complete and enter your bracket or brackets.

2. Enter the following information:
a. In the Pool ID box, enter the number 8721
b. In the Pool Password box, enter MattyC23

3. Fill out the online form information, including a personal username and password.
(Rest assured, this information will NOT be sold or utilized for spam email under ANY circumstances.)

4. Tournament Bracket will be available Sunday, March 11th shortly after tournament selections are completed. Pool Pick Deadline is noon on Thursday, March 15th.

5. Make your donation (see next page for mailing instructions)

6. Make your bracket picks, with the ability to change them right up until your pool's deadline.

It's that easy! If you have any questions, please contact Vint at (603)707-4736 or send an email to vint@formattfoundation.org or e-mail runyourpool.com directly at support@runyourpool.com. Please do not contact “runyourpool” with donation questions.