Tommy
Skipper
Sandy OR junior
When Tommy Skipper started
throwing the javelin over 200 feet and pole vaulting over
15 feet as a freshman 2 years ago, people wondered if he
was related to Art Skipper, the national high school athlete
of the year in 1988 for setting the javelin national record
of 259-10. The answer was yes; Tommy is Art's nephew.
Carrying on the Skipper name
became more poignant last October when Art Skipper was killed
in light plane crash not far from the family home in Sandy
OR.
Tommy Skipper is a versatile
athlete, as evidenced by his decathlon scores, but pole
vault seems to be his best event. He hit his PR of 16-10
winning the Oregon-Washington championships last June, making
him the 2nd best in the country and the leading undergraduate.
Last Sunday in the Northwest
Pole Vault Summit at Rick Baggett's pole vault hotbed Clackamas
Community College, Skipper soared to 16-6 to take the US#1
spot this year. He will defend his ranking against four
other 16-footers -- Tyson Byers WA, Brad Gebauer MI, and
Chip Heuser KY -- at the Nike Indoor Classic.
