Park Madness 2017! Lake Roosevelt vs Cape Lookout: Who you got?

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament winds up tomorrow in Arizona pitting Gonzaga University out of Spokane against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For the past several years, Park Thrillers has run a "Park Madness" tournament with basketball teams corresponding with neighboring national parks. 

This year's final pits the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Presidents in Washington State against the Cape Lookout National Seashore Lighthouses from North Carolina.

Who you got? the Presidents or the Lighthouses?

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

National Park Madness: The Finals Cape Lookout vs. Valley Forge

National Park Madness  is down to the finals. North Carolina's Cape Lookout and Pennsylvania's Valley Forge are the last two teams standing. They will play to determine which park will be the winner of National Park Madness 2016!

Who are you pulling for?

National Park Madness: Final Four!

We are down to the final four national parks in the 2016 National Park Madness.  Surprises in every region. In the South, Valley Forge shocked Brown vs. the Board of Education. Out West, Chickasaw stunned heavily favored Crater Lake. In the Midwest, Fort Stanwix upset the higher ranked Shenandoah, while Cape Lookout won the East regional.

So, who are you pulling for in the finals? Who is going to take home the crown in National Park Madness 2016?

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: Sweet Sixteen!

The National Park Madness tournament marches on to the finals! The first two rounds have been
exciting with a few stunning upsets! Who could have predicted the upstart Shiloh sending the juggernaut Isle Royale home in the first round? As expected however, all the number 1 seeds including Shenandoah, Kansas vs. the Board of Education, Crater Lake, and Cape Lookout all dispatched their first two opponents.

Surprise parks making it to the third round include Lake Roosevelt, Fort Stanwix, St. Croix, and Lincoln's Boyhood home. Plenty of exciting clashes lay ahead!

Is your team still in the hunt to be Champs of Park Madness? You are you pulling for?

 

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

National Park Madness 2016

 
If it's March it must be time for National Park Madness. National Park Thrillers has taken the 2016 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament and customized the teams to represent their respective parks.

 

In the West Crater Lake (Oregon) takes the number 1 seed, out East its Cape

Lookout (UNC). Brown vs. the Board of Education (Kansas) takes the top spot in the South, while Shenandoah (Virginia) leads in the Midwest.  Other big parks like Yosemite, Death Valley, and Everglades made the big dance. However, the field is also well represented by smaller parks like John Muir, Effigy Mounds, New River Gorge, and Lake Roosevelt.

So who do you got in Park Madness 2016! Tell us in the comment section below!

 

 

 

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: GETTYSBURG!

Perhaps inspired by the pending anniversary of General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, today Gettysburg took home the Park Madness title for 2015.

The battle between the Everglades and Gettysburg was well matched and in the beginning when Gettysburg's floor commander John Reynolds went down looked like Everglades might take home the crown.  As expected, Everglades unleashed its all star trifecta of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the Florida Panther (Puma concolor), and the Python from Burma. Gettysburg challenged the eligibility of the python prior to the contest, claiming the snake was an exotic and barred from participating. But the challenge fell on deaf ears and in the end didn't matter.

After Reynolds was taken from the court, John Buell and Winfield Scott Hanncock, with the help of Joshua Chamberlin coming off the bench took up the slack an ultimately led the park to victory.

Congratulations to Gettysburg! 2015 Park Madness Champions!

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: The FINALS

Park Madness is down to its final two teams. In game one, Gettysburg's stout defense shut down Yellowstone's offense causing the world's first national park to run out of steam in the end. In game two, the Everglades offense including points in the paint swamped Denali leading to a surprising rout.

 

Now its down to the High Point of the Confederacy vs. the River of Grass for all the marbles.  Who are your pulling for to take home the title of Park Madness Champion 2015?

Park Madness: FINAL FOUR!

The Park Madness FINAL FOUR are set. Yellowstone won the Mid West region with a blanket defense that didn't run out of steam as Glacier had hoped.

 

Down South Everglades out battled Great Smoky's with hot shooting from the perimeter and stifling defense that left the Smoky's wilting under the heat.

 

Up East the Washington Monument made three late runs and closed the gap, but Gettysburg's defense held out, especially in the middle where the Washington Monument thought them most weak.

 

Finally in a stunner out West, Denali's massive presence in the middle of the court shut down Yosemite all but certain climb to the finals.

 

 

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: Elite 8

Four things to know about Park Madness Elite 8! 

1. Three top seed teams made it to the fourth round. Yellowstone handled Arches, despite Arches hot shooting again beyond the arch.  Great Smoky's cloud defense smothered Biscayne, and Yosemite's continued slow and steady climb outlasted Lassen's sometimes fiery offense.

2.  Gettysburg has a strong defensive line, giving the Statute of Liberty's big woman trouble in the paint all night, while Everglades on both sides of the ball swamped Gulf Islands.

3. Grand Teton and Glacier played above the rim and clouds all game, with Glacier winning it on a deep jump shot. There was some controversy on the shot as some said it was taken from Canada and clearly out of bounds.

4. Finally, Denali's height, size and breadth off the bench proved too much for the scrappy but over matched Olympic. 

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: Sweet Sixteen

The National Park Madness sweet sixteen are set. Many of the favorites continued their march toward the final four. However, we saw our first of the big four go down.

 

In the East, the Washington Monument's height proved too much for Acadia and the GW monolith moved on to the next round.  Arches continued its deep run into the tournament with outstanding shooting beyond the three point arch, upsetting its Utah brethren for its spot among the 16 best. Glacier found itself in a big hole early in its battle with the Grand Canyon, but in the second half was able to dig its way out.  In the South, a monster match up of two gulf coast parks will go at it. While in the West, Death Valley was hot early, but Olympic's shooting rained down in the second half, moving the triple threat park (beaches, mountains, and forests) onto the next round. Yosemite continues its climb toward the finals, but Denali, Olympic, and Lassen hope to knock the Granite gamers off their perch.

 

 

 

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: Round 1

The results are in from the first round of Park Madness!  A lot of action took place in the first 32 contests. Many of the favorites including all of the big four (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia) moved into the second round.  Some early and shocking upset were scored by Wind Caves, Antietam, Congaree, and Arches!

Did you favorite park make it to the second round?

National Park Madness!

The NCAA Basketball tournament is almost upon us. The annual playoffs to determine the best team in college basketball is referred to by fans as March Madness! Fans fill out brackets every year, trying to predict who will come home with the trophy.

In the spirit of March Madness, Park thrillers has created its own tournament called PARK MADNESS.  Sixty four of America's best national parks go head to head to determine the country's over all best!

The Park Madness brackets are below.  Did your favorite park make the tournament?  Who got slighted? Who got in who shouldn't? Which park will be crowned number 1? 

Check back in the coming days to see who advances to the finals!