Lindsay Czarniak Talks ESPN, CVHS

Lindsay Czarniak, already a well-known name among sports fans in the D.C. area, will soon become a familiar face in living rooms around the country. In August, Czarniak will start work at ESPN. 

But as many longtime residents know, before Czarniak started interviewing pro athletes and coaches over lunch on NBC 4, she played field hockey and lacrosse at . Centreville Patch recently spoke with Czarniak about her ties to the area and plans for the future. Here's a few highlights from the conversation:

Do you still live in the area? I'm in D.C. I live downtown, but I did grow up there. So I have members of my family that are still out there and that's where I spent the majority of the time growing up. My parents are still in the home where I grew up. So I still consider it home. I loved high school there; it was great. 

How did you get the job at NBC? I was working in Miami as a sportscaster for NBC and George [Michael] called me out of nowhere and told me that he was interested in talking because they had an opening. It was completely out of the blue. It was awesome because it was a great opportunity work-wise and it also meant coming home. So for me it was huge. 

What's your favorite sport to cover? I love Nascar and it has a special place in my heart because I just love everything about the sport. I also really enjoy football. And I like the variety of my job a lot, the fact that I cover a variety of different sports. That keeps it fresh. But I would have to say Nascar and football are my favorites. Still, there's nothing like the hockey playoffs and covering the college NCAA tournament—that's special. 

You get to hobnob with a lot of well-known figures. What are the interviews that stand out for you? I'm an Orioles fan, so that stands out. I also interviewed the director of the movie Secretariat. 

What exactly will you be doing at ESPN? I'm going to be doing Sportscenter and it's going to be a lot of fun, a big challenge. I'll be up there anchoring. I'm excited about trying something different and the opportunity. I'm hoping that at some point I'll be able to expand and bring some of those concepts with me, the lunches—whatever else it is. It's important to keep growing and to get better in different ways.