Tom Gets His 19 Footer

[LHSpolevault]

any video of that jump? that's fricken sick for an opening height!

[Mecham]

www.goducks.com

[Mecham]

Now Bubka never started any higher than 5.90 at any time?
I'm suprized.

I think Bubka had the highest opening hieght for his normal opening hieght. I dont think he opened any lower than 18'8 for a loooong time

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml ... LID=249359

EUGENE - Juniors Tommy Skipper and Britney Henry and freshman Rachel Yurkovich wasted little time Saturday adding to the University of Oregon’s rich track and history in the team’s outdoor opener, the Oregon Preview, held at Hayward Field

In sunny, spring-like conditions, Skipper patiently waited for almost two hours for the rest of the 14-man pole vault field to take their chances at heights ranging from 14-9 to 17-2 3/4, before he opened the competition at exactly 19-0 (5.79 meters).

The recent NCAA indoor champion easily cleared the bar on his first attempt, and immediately enjoyed a lengthy celebration as he ran over to the east grandstand to embrace various friends, family and coaches. Moments later, he shared the occasion with the entire stadium on his victory lap.

"I couldn’t have asked for better conditions," Skipper said. "The wind was wonderful and blowing down the pipe. When I got here initially, I was a little concerned that there might be a side- or headwind which would make it hard to make it on the first try, but it was great when I jumped. I came in rested and ready to go. Competing at indoor NCAA’s last week didn’t fatigue me, more so the 300-meter sprints that I had to do on Monday. After those, I was glad I didn’t have to make another victory lap today."

Skipper had already owned the Duck all-time best with his meet, conference and regional record that won the 2004 NCAA West Regional in Northridge, Calif. (18-10 1/4).

"Clearing 19 feet took a big monkey off my back," Skipper said. "I didn’t really feel like going any higher afterwards today. It’s nice to sometimes clear a bar and be done. Unlike a race, it sometimes feel like you can never truly win in the pole vault - you just keep going higher until you miss. This was nice today, but I also have to move forward, so I can be at my best at the end of the season. I’m still doing some things wrong, and I have to keep perfecting my jumps. I want to become a consistent 19-foot vaulter, and I hope some day to start every meet at 19 feet. I’ll keep moving on from here."

A week ago last Friday, Skipper raised an equal roar from the crowd in Fayetteville, Ark., with his win in the NCAA Indoor Championships (18-6 1/2). The third-year Duck also won the collegiate pole vault title indoors in ‘05 (18-4 1/2) and outdoors in ‘04 (18-8 1/4). In his other appearance in the collegiate indoor finale in ‘04, he took second as a freshman (18-4 1/2) behind 2005 World Championships silver medalist Brad Walker.

"At the beginning of this week, I asked Coach what the plan was, and he said that I was coming in at 19 feet, so I said OK," Skipper said. "One of my goals this season was to start coming in a little higher - maybe 18-6 - but I never thought about that high of an opening height. Once I was out there on the runway, the height didn’t bother me, and I did everything exactly the same with my technique."

"A pole vaulter only has about eight good jumps, so once you take 2-3 good warm-ups," Skipper continued, ‘then three at the next heights you’re almost maxed out. Our idea was to be fresh at that first bar. Coming in, I felt like I was hitting my peak with my fitness and speed, especially with the end of the indoor season last week. It felt a little weird getting here right when the event started at 1 pm, but that’s what Coach told me to do, and we timed it really well. I again really have to thank the massage therapist and trainers for helping me jump. If it wasn’t him for them and Coach Steele today wouldn’t be possible."

Since he missed most of the ‘05 season because of a knee injury, Skipper’s vault Saturday was only his second over 18 feet at Hayward Field, with his other clearance from the 2004 Prefontaine Classic (18-4 1/2). Altogether in his career, he has now cleared 18 feet in five collegiate outdoor contests with the other four from his freshman season in ‘04.

"Today was a huge day," Skipper said. "It’s special to do this at home in front of my family and friends. It’s amazing everytime you can compete at Hayward Field, since everyone seems to know you on a personal level. The people in the stadium know it’s been a hard year for me at times. They appreciate the things that I’ve had to overcome with the help of my teammates, coaches, family and friends. As much as I want it for myself, I want it more for all the people in the crowd. It’s a reward I can give to them for all their support."

[rainbowgirl28]

Video: http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml ... SPSID=4367 bottom right hand side of screen

[LHSpolevault]

omg... watching that video.. and hearing the crowd when he went over like forced my adrenal gland to pump out a massive amount of adrenaline haha


SKIPPPERRR IS NAASSSTTTYYYY!

[fong520]

bah the picture doesnt show up when i open it.. i only hear sound

[youbebosley]

wow

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/ ... ion=sports

Skipper, Ducks set bar high in Oregon Preview
By Curtis Anderson
The Register-Guard
Published: Sunday, March 19, 2006

Like a bolt of lightning, Oregon's Tommy Skipper electrified a crowd of 4,291 at the annual Oregon Preview meet at Hayward Field on Saturday with a school-record performance of 19 feet in the pole vault.
Skipper, a three-time NCAA champion, cleared the bar on his first and only attempt of the afternoon.

"Wow, it's been so long," the UO junior said. "Everybody has been on my case; when I came out here today, at least 30 people asked me if I was going to jump 19 feet. It's always in the back of my mind, and I'm always thinking I want to, and today, God let it happen, so I thank him for that."
After clearing the bar, an elated Skipper bounded out of the landing pit, raised his right arm in triumph, and raced to the front row of the East Grandstands, where he hugged his coach, Dan Steele.

He continued to celebrate the moment with teammates, family and friends. At one point, he literally dragged his best friend from back home in Sandy, Josh Beeler, out of the stands before taking a well-deserved victory lap.

Skipper's one-and-done performance at a height he had never cleared before elicited this response from one veteran Hayward Field official.
"I've worked every pole vault here since 1972," said Dave Pompel. "But
I've never seen anything like that. It was beautiful."

Besides a lifetime best and UO school record, Skipper's performance makes him the eighth collegiate vaulter to clear 19 feet or better outdoors. The outdoor collegiate record of 19-7 1/2 was set in 1996 by Tennessee's Lawrence Johnson.

"Very impressive," said Vin Lananna, who was making his outdoor debut as the director of track and field operations at Oregon. "I've never seen anybody open at 19 feet before, that takes a lot of guts. Tommy is an exciting athlete with tremendous potential. He and Dan Steele are a wonderful match."

The plan to open at 19 feet was hatched by Steele earlier in the week.
His logic was influenced by several factors, most notably the fact that Skipper was still in peak condition after winning his second NCAA indoor title a week ago. It had also been a light week of training, and at the Preview meet, there was absolutely no pressure.

"It was something that made sense to me when I was thinking about whether or not Tommy should compete this week," Steele said. "He always jumps so well early in every competition, I was thinking, `Gee, it would be nice to have a bar up there, because he's two feet over at 18 feet.' Coming off an indoor peak, I knew he was fresh and ready, so why not go for a big bar? There was nothing to lose."

Under Lananna's regime, Steele has been responsible for all of the Oregon pole vaulters this season. Former Oregon standout Piotr Buciarski will continue to be a volunteer assistant, while Mark Vanderville, who coached Skipper last season, is reviewing his options on whether or not to remain a part of the UO staff.

"I like to have full-time coaches being responsible for our athletes," Lananna said. "Obviously, it was a good decision."


But nothing could compare to Skipper's stunning achievement in the pole vault, especially after his well-documented struggles last season.

"It's great to get out here," Skipper said. "I love Hayward Field and I love competing in front of these people, because they actually know you. They know what you've been through and they know what happened to me last year. They can appreciate the struggles and the triumphs that coach and I have made. I appreciate that and I want to come out here each and every week and do my best for them."

On Saturday, he did that and more.

OREGON'S TOP 5 POLE VAULTERS
1, Tommy Skipper 19-0 2006
2, Kory Tarpenning 18-6 1/2 1985
3, Tom Hintnaus 18-4 1/2 1980
4, Piotr Buciarski 18-2 1/2 1999
5, Trevor Woods 18- 1/2 2002
5, Jay Davis 18- 1/2 1986

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/ ... ion=sports

Ron Bellamy: Ducks flying high again at Hayward Field
By Ron Bellamy
Columnist, The Register-Guard
Published: Sunday, March 19, 2006
It was a feel-good moment, to end a feel-good day at Hayward Field.
Tommy Skipper set an Oregon record for height Saturday, clearing 19 feet in the pole vault in the Oregon Preview meet.
Then he set an Oregon record for hugs, elatedly grabbing coaches, teammates, family members, training partners and old buddies from high school.
And maybe you had to have been there last season, to have seen Skipper struggling through injury, no-heighting in the Pac-10 meet, failing to reach the NCAA championships, to fully appreciate what that remarkable accomplishment meant for the Oregon junior.
And maybe you had to have been at the Oregon Preview meet a year ago, the day after the abrupt resignation of coach Martin Smith, when the weather was bleak and the atmosphere like a morgue, to appreciate all that's happened in the past year for Oregon track and field:
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A Pac-10 Conference men's championship, by a team that stuck together when it could have fallen apart. The arrival of distance star Galen Rupp. The hiring of Vin Lananna as director of track and field, and all that represents in terms of Oregon's renewed commitment to the sport. The successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
"It's one thing to put the bar up there," Lananna said. "It's another thing to clear it. It was very impressive."
Of course, Lananna was talking about Skipper, but his words captured the essence of the renewed Oregon program, which has put the bar up there, seeking not only to win championships, but to revitalize the sport in Eugene and beyond.
What a way to start.
Because the announced crowd of 4,291 was a record for the Preview meet; previous best, in records dating to 1984, was 3,367 in 1987. It was officially twice last year's crowd of 2,109. And while this was, as per tradition, the Ducks against the Ducks and athletes from smaller schools in the first outdoors meet of the year, there were a handful of post-collegians, and a couple of Olympians, and most of Oregon's top attractions, including hurdler Eric Mitchum, 400 meter standout Matt Scherer, Rupp and, of course, Skipper.
And when it was over, the Ducks gathered and waved to the crowd in the West Grandstand, and trotted over to thank those in the East Grandstand, and huddled as a team for a chant of "Go Ducks" and some words from Lananna, which concluded with "19 feet! How about that!"
Said Mitchum: "In the past year, I can't describe to you how it's changed. Martin was a great coach, but it seems like we're more of a team now. We have team meetings once a week. Vin really has the program put together. It's better now."
Skipper said last year's turmoil and transition "was affecting all of us, whether you realized it or not. Because a large number of us did like Martin, but through adversity, there's always a chance for opportunity, and Vin has shown that he is the opportunity that came from that adversity, and it's so awesome to have Vin on our side."
A year ago, the Oregon assistant coach who spoke most bluntly about Smith's resignation, and the murky circumstances surrounding it, was women's distance coach Marnie Mason, who said then: "We have everybody on the bus that we need to make it go. I just think we need new bus driver."
Saturday, Mason was back at Hayward Field, as the men's and women's distance coach at Southern Oregon, and said that Oregon has hired absolutely the right guy to drive that bus.

"I think it's a healthy environment, and that's good to see," said Mason, who spent time with some of her former athletes and was pleased by how positive they are about Oregon's direction.
"You look at it now, and it's a whole different ballgame," she said. "There's just a good feeling when you come to Hayward Field."
Scherer felt that energy.
"There's definitely a lot of excitement around the stadium," he said. "I'm positive there are more people here than this time last year, sitting in the stands, and that's a really good thing. I'm really looking forward to all the other home meets this year. They're going to be exciting."
In a season in which the Ducks host the Pac-10 championships, the Oregon men seeking to defend their title at home, don't discount the impact of a regeneration of interest, even as Oregon hopes, over time, to develop a new generation of track and field fans.
Late in the meet Saturday, Lananna sat in the stands with John Jaqua, the Eugene lawyer who was Bill Bowerman's friend and neighbor, and an original board member of the company that became Nike.
Jaqua wondered whether he should stay for the end of the pole vault; Lananna didn't promise that Skipper would clear 19 feet, but said he thought Skipper could.
So John Jaqua stayed, and saw it.
"He was so thrilled," Lananna said, "and so impressed."
He wasn't alone.