Tommy Skipper 18-3 - US high school record

Sandy OR senior Tommy Skipper, who broke a pole and his left hand going for the indoor national record at the Nike Indoor Championship in March, opened at 17-1 when two other competitors remained. Skipper cleared on his second try while Donovan Kilmartin and Brandon McFarling missed three times. Skipper raised the bar to 18-0.5 for a new Golden West record and made it. He then raised the bar to 18-3 and made it for a new national high school record (was 18-2.25 by Eric Eshbach in 1999). Skipper then missed once at 18-6 and called it a day. He said his bigger poles didn't arrive in Sacramento, so it wasn't likely he would make the higher height. They will be with him when he competes next week in the USA Junior Nationals at Stanford. It was the third straight meet Skipper moved the bar up a foot after his opening clearance. "You either make it or you don't, so you might as well go for it," Skipper said. He confirmed reports that he will defer entering college so he can train for the US Olympic Trials next year. He will train with Dave Leman of Arkansas State.

Tommy now joins his older brother Art Skipper Jr as national record holders. Art Jr, who died last year when the small airplane he was flying crashed, still holds the national high school javelin record at 259-10. "I've been waiting to get this record for my brother," Skipper said. He was very pleased he got the record on Father's Day with his dad, mom, and sister in attendance.

Skipper is 6-2 and 195 pounds.