Tony Shirk Senior Profile

DURHAM, N.C.- Recently, GoDuke.com sat down with senior pole vaulter Tony Shirk to learn more about the Phoenixville, Pa., native.

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite movie?
Tony Shirk: ""V for Vendetta" or "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and also "It Happened One Night" which is a classic romantic comedy, so one of those three."

GoDuke.com: What embarrassing music do you have on your iPod?
TS: "The person who comes to mind is Bloodhound Gang. I don't know if that is embarrassing or if I should be proud of that. I also have some Lady Gaga on there."

GoDuke.com: Do you have any superstitions/pre-game rituals? If so, what are they?
TS: "I always have black coffee, egg whites and oatmeal with peanut butter in it before competition time. At least three hours before."

GoDuke.com: What's on your bucket list?
TS: "Fat Tuesday in New Orleans."

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite home cooked meal?
TS: "My mother's beef and rice stuffed peppers topped with hot sauce. Nice and wholesome."

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite class at Duke?
TS: "I took a grad level natural resource environmental economics course at the Nicholas School. My major is environmental science policy so that best aligns with my interest. It was a really neat class about the economics of the environment and the cost effectiveness of environmental regulation. It was pretty interesting."

GoDuke.com: What has been your toughest class at Duke?
TS: "General chemistry freshman year, without a doubt, the worst."

GoDuke.com: Where do you like to study on campus?
TS: "Currently I study in my apartment. But over the past three it's always been first floor of Perkins; always at a table never at a couch or I would fall asleep."

GoDuke.com: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
TS: "I do try to take a day at a time but 10 years from now I would like to be a top tier executive or a CEO of some sort of biotechnology or pharmaceutical firm, preferably a start up at that point."

GoDuke.com: Who has had the most impact on your life and why?
TS: "I would say my Mom. She is literally the sweetest person you will ever meet and that is where I get all of my athleticism from. She is not afraid to put me in my place. She keeps me humble and is a great role model."

GoDuke.com: Describe Coach Wilbourn in one word.
TS: "Earnest."

GoDuke.com: Can you cook? If so what are you good at?
TS: "Yes I can, breakfast, lunch and dinner. It rotates between marinated chicken, fish, pork or beef. Always on the George Forman. So maybe marinated chicken and sweet potatoes, which is a staple of mine. I make different forms of sweet potatoes: Sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes, mashed...it's pretty easy."

GoDuke.com: Who would you trade places with for a day?
TS: "I was just reading an article about Ron Paul. He's a Duke alumnus from the medical school."

GoDuke.com: What is your worst habit?
TS: "Overanalyzing."

GoDuke.com: Fill in the blank -- I wish I knew how to _________.
TS: "Play the piano."

GoDuke.com: What is your favorite restaurant in Durham?
TS: "The Piedmont. I just recently discovered it and it's a hidden gem in Durham. They serve some of the freshest food in Durham because they partner with local farms and they consider themselves environmentally sustainable in their practices. The menu changes a lot. It's great."

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