I am thrilled to be joining such a talented team as the new staff writer/assistant editor for the Minnesota Vikings! Writing and sports have been passions of mine for years, and being able to combine the two into a profession — and for my hometown team — is nothing short of a dream come true.

Born and raised in Andover, Minnesota, I've grown up watching and loving the Vikings. Family has always been important to me, and one way I enjoyed spending time with my dad was watching games together from a young age. He taught me the teams, players and positions, and it wasn't long before I found myself being just as excited as he was for Sundays.

In 2002, I attended training camp for the first time. I still have photos from meeting Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss on that trip with my dad, and it impressed me that Kelly Campbell stayed and signed autographs one afternoon until every last fan had gone home. Even then, the energy and atmosphere was contagious to me. Now, 13 years later, I returned to Mankato — this time, to cover the team and do freelance work for Vikings.com.

Some of you may recognize my byline, as I've been contributing occasional stories since June. In addition to writing player features during training camp, I did some work over alumni weekend and have written a handful of other features for the website and programs.

I've thoroughly enjoyed all the work I've done thus far; two of my favorite pieces are the training camp spotlight on and a story on Chad Greenway opening another “Chad’s Locker” in Hutchinson, Minnesota. As a writer, I'm drawn to opportunities to share a "story behind a story." Being able to tell fans about not only Asiata's football career but also about his family and what really drives him on and off the field — those are things I look for.

Prior to this position, I worked 4.5 years as the Program Manager for the writing and tutoring center at University of Northwestern – St. Paul, which is also my alma mater. I found plenty of outlets to continue writing, as well. In addition to my contributions for the Vikings, I wrote a bi-monthly fan feature for Timberwolves.com and wrote regularly for Vikings Territory and CanisHoopus.com. My work has also been featured on Bleacher Report, KSTP and Fox Sports North.

I am looking forward to representing the Minnesota Vikings and continuing to produce content for all of you fans on Vikings.com. Skol!

Sideline Notes

Hobbies:Spending time with my parents and sister, photography, writing, dinner with friends, watching movies

Favorite Viking of all time:John Randle

Favorite book:The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sport to watch (other than football):Basketball. I try to attend a handful of Timberwolves games each season.

Connect with Lindsey on social media:Follow me on Twitter! @LindseyMNSports