On Tap with ... Tommy Gibbons

Q: Where are you from, and what’s the best part about it?

A: I’m from Short Hills, N.J. I went to Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J. for high school. The best part about where I’m from is that it has a huge shopping mall, which is really nice (pastels and candy thongs don't buy themselves). It’s also great being close to Princeton.

Q: When did you start playing lacrosse?

A: My mom dropped me off at a lacrosse camp when I was in second grade. I didn’t really like it then because I wasn’t very good. I revisited lacrosse in fourth grade. Shockingly, the two years I had taken off made me even worse. But I stuck with it and got better little by little. It wasn’t until high school that I gave up baseball, though, and started solely focusing on lacrosse.

Q: What would you say was the best moment of your career?

A: Honestly, our team’s win over Cornell on Friday night was one of the best moments I’ve ever been a part of. It was great to beat them after they’d beaten us the week before. Winning the Ivy League during my freshman year was also really cool.

Q: Most embarrassing career moment?

A: I don’t feel embarrassed often because I realize everyone makes mistakes. But in middle school, my mom brought our dog, Oakley, to the game. He ran on during halftime and pooped in the middle of the field. My coach made me pick it up, but that wasn't half as embarrassing as the time when my little brother, Matt, did the same thing.

Q: Thoughts on your career now being over?

A: It’s kind of sad when I look in the mirror because I know even at my athletic peak, I still have some muffin top, and despite his perpetual pooping stunts, my little brother is still in better shape than me. But overall, I really enjoyed my time playing lacrosse here. It was frustrating to go out the way we did because a number of close games could’ve gone differently this season. We had some great wins, though, like our win over Cornell. It’s hard to not be jealous of the younger guys on the team because I think they’ll go on to do better than we did as a team in the next few seasons.

Q: If not lacrosse, what sports would you play here?

A: I’d either play industrial curling or golf. I actually thought about trying to play golf in college. I’m always amazed when I hear kids on the golf team complain about having to go through 18 holes during practice or over the weekend. I think that’d be the coolest thing ever.

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Q: Do you have a favorite teammate?

A: Well, there are only five seniors, so we’re basically brothers. [Sophomore midfielder] Will Rotatori is pretty funny and is somebody with a big locker room presence. So is [freshman defenseman] Luke Brugger.

Q: Who’s the weirdest person on the lacrosse team?

A: That’s tough because a lot of kids are pretty strange. [Junior midfielder] Nick Fernandez knows all kinds of bird facts. [Sophomore defenseman] Alex Beatty knows every geographic city in the world. And [sophomore attacker] Mike MacDonald is from Canada and doesn’t walk straight.

Q: What’s one thing that you dominate in off the field?

A: I'm a pretty dope rapper. I've never lost any of the battles I've dreamt about having. I'm also pretty good at Monopoly.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

A: Flying and invisibility would both be cool. So would being Harry Potter or the Silver Surfer. I also heard something once about spaghetti fingers. I'd like that too.

Q: Rumor has it you tell pretty good jokes. Tell us one.

A: What'd the apple say to the banana?

Q: What?

A: Next question please.

Q: What are your plans post-graduation?

A: I'm always looking to improve the human condition and make the world a better place, so, naturally, investment banking has always appealed to me. I'll be working at Goldman Sachs. After that, who knows.