Pole vaulter's guardian angel keeps him on track to clear prep record
USA TODAY; McLean, Va.; Jun 14, 2002; Ray Glier;
Copyright USA Today Information Network Jun 14, 2002
High schools
Tommy Skipper senses his brother's spirit as he prepares to launch his body through the air in the pole vault. He's not sure how it helps his performance, but it helps.
"There is something there, I don't know what, but it makes a difference," says Skipper, the best high school pole vaulter in the USA. "I don't know. I don't like to talk about it."
Art Skipper Jr., Tommy's "only sports hero, along with my other brother, Scott," died in a plane crash last Oct. 16 near the family's home in Sandy, Ore. Art, the national high school recordholder in the javelin, was 31.
Following his brother's death, Tommy asked himself: "Do I want to continue?" His answer? "He wouldn't have wanted me to quit," says the 17-year-old rising senior.
Skipper has jumped 17 feet, 7 inches and could threaten the national high school record of Eric Eshbach (18-21/2 in 1999) of Orangefield, Texas, next season.
"Far and away, Tommy Skipper is the best high school pole vaulter in the country," says Mike Byrnes, co-director of the Adidas Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, N.C., this weekend, and the president of the National Scholastic Sports Foundation (Chapel Hill, N.C.).
While he has a hard time explaining the spiritual help he gets from Art Jr., Skipper doesn't have a hard time explaining why his family is so successful in athletics. In addition to him and Art, Scott Skipper, 37, was a middle linebacker at Oregon in the mid- '80s and a track star in high school.
"We have a close-knit family. My sister travels with me, and my family encourages me," Tommy says. "We're a strong Christian family because of my mom."
Skipper was scheduled to be at the Raleigh meet, but a glitch with getting his equipment shipped could keep him home, although meet organizers were scrambling Thursday to rectify the situation.
Credit: Special for USA TODAY