Tony Shirk hopes to reach new heights (PA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa ... ights.html

Phoenixville vaulter hopes to reach new heights

Tony Shirk has a personal best of 15 feet, 6 inches in his specialty. He is aiming to clear 16 feet this year.

By Don Beideman
Inquirer Staff Writer

When Talen Singer, former assistant track coach at Phoenixville, went looking for a pole vaulter a few years back, he was struck by the all-around ability of Tony Shirk.
Shirk, now a senior, was a proven runner and a highly capable long jumper for longtime coach Jack Kraynak. He had gone 21 feet in the long jump, and had been a hurdler in middle school.

"Tony had the talent and the mental toughness to be a top pole vaulter," said Singer, now an assistant at Villanova. "It took me less than two minutes to realize that."

Shirk is proof that Singer is a good judge of talent. The Phantoms senior has a personal best of 15 feet, 6 inches in his specialty, and he would like to top 16 feet before his high school career ends. The PIAA Class AAA pole vault record is 16-31/2. He was fifth in the event last spring at 15 feet.

Last week, he cleared 14 feet against Pottstown before running out of pole to clear anything higher.

"I'm waiting for a good day," Shirk said, laughing, pointing out that he didn't have a longer pole with him.

Singer sees nothing but bigger things for the 5-foot-10, 150-pound Shirk, who has accepted a partial track scholarship from Duke.

"I was so glad to see him surpass my [school] record of 13-9," said Singer, a 1992 graduate of Phoenixville. "His best years of vaulting are still ahead of him."

Kraynak agrees.

"He's a very disciplined athlete," said Kraynak, who is in his 31st season at Phoenixville.

Shirk says his future could be as a decathlete at Duke, but for his first year, he plans to concentrate on the pole vault. He chose Duke over Villanova, among others.

"Duke was the better fit for me," said Shirk, who is thinking about a career in cardiology or internal medicine. A National Honor Society student, he is in an allied health program that takes him to Phoenixville Hospital weekly. His mother, Susie, is a nurse, so he knows the constant demands of the medical profession.

"I loved it when he took up the pole vault," his mother said. "I told him to go for it. It's exciting."

Shirk, a football player at Phoenixville before giving up the sport to concentrate on track, comes by his athletic skills naturally. His mother was a lacrosse player at Temple. His father, Bill, coached football at Phoenixville before going into administration at Upper Perkiomen.

In addition to team practices, Shirk works out regularly at the Vertical Assault club in Allentown to improve his vaulting technique. Always intrigued by vaulting, he saw it as a challenge.

"I remember watching videos of pole vaulters in study hall where the pole breaks or the vaulter misses," Shirk said. "To me it was an extreme sport. It's the closest thing you ever get to flying."

Shirk was scheduled to compete yesterday at the Great Valley Relays, but he decided not to participate in this week's Penn Relays.

"The prom has always been the night before the Penn Relays," Shirk said. "This is my senior year, so I decided to pass on the relays and enjoy the prom."

[joebro391]

how'd he do?? i haven't heard. i vaulted with him at vertical about a week before but haven't talked to him since

EDIT: nevermind, i finished reading. idk...i'd be pissed if i was his coach