He is one of the most talented track and field athletes in the country.
He’s celebrity-handsome and has become a Hayward Field icon during his freshman year at Oregon.
For those who have never met Tommy Skipper, it would be easy to suspect the 19 year old of being self-absorbed.
It takes only one conversation with the Sandy native, however, to realize he’s one of the most modest people one could encounter.
“I was a little shocked by how humble he was,” senior pole vaulter Trevor Woods said. “I tried not to have any preconceived notions when he first got here, but the word that people around Oregon used (to describe Skipper) was ‘wow.’ I wouldn’t say they considered him to be God-like, but almost like a mythical creature. But the moment he showed up, you could just tell that he was genuine. There’s no fakeness to him.”
A combination of strong family values and a desire to honor his late brother Art has lead Tommy Skipper on a path to Oregon, where he has quickly become one of the school’s most well-liked athletes. That path, however, wasn’t always clear.
Skipper’s choice to become a Duck wasn’t an easy one at first. Coming out of Sandy High School, the 2003 Track and Field News’ Boy’s Athlete of the Year had the talent to pole vault for any school in the nation. After a lengthy decision making process, Skipper decided Tracktown, USA, was the place for him. It was close to home and his brothers, Scott and Art, had also been Ducks.
“Looking back at it, I say ‘wow,’ it shouldn’t have been that tough for me to see that Oregon was the place for me,” Skipper said. “There was so much confusion coming out of high school with me wanting to make the perfect decision and not wanting to have any regrets on going to the wrong university. Now that I’m here, I love the University of Oregon and there wouldn’t be any other place for me.”
After arriving at Oregon during winter term, it didn’t take long for Skipper to amaze his teammates on and off the field.
At an indoor meet in Nampa, Idaho, in early February, Skipper broke the school pole vault record when he cleared the bar at 18 feet, 8 3/4 inches. The previous record, held by Olympian Kory Tarpenning (18-6 1/2), had stood for 19 years.
Skipper’s performance during the indoor campaign earned him All-American status and gave Oregon coaches an idea of what he’s capable of accomplishing during his collegiate career.
Once the outdoor season started, Skipper’s success continued. Though he hasn’t come close to his record-breaking height, he recorded first-place marks at the Oregon Preview (17-6 1/2) and the Pepsi Team Invitational (17-5), along with a fourth-place finish at the Texas Relays (17-8 1/2).
What impressed Skipper’s teammates even more than his athletic talent was the way he has handled success.
“He’s a great guy,” redshirt freshman pole vaulter David Moore said. “You would expect someone with that much talent to be a little more cocky, a little more arrogant, think he knows everything and think he’s better than everyone else. But he doesn’t have that attitude. He’s totally down to earth and realizes he has great talent, but doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else because of that.”
Skipper picked up on selflessness from time spent with his older brother Art, who died in a small plane crash in 2001 at the age of 31.
Tommy grew up watching Art experience success in the javelin as a Duck. While at Oregon, Art set the school record (251-8, broken by John Stiegeler in 2001, 252-10) and was a two-time All-American. Tommy said he thinks of Art every time he competes in a meet.

“I think about him every day,” Skipper said. “(It’s hard) when you lose the person that inspires you to be better and to live life. He’s my motivation for everything. He honestly was my best friend.”
Along with a humble attitude, Art instilled a fiery desire to be the best inside Tommy, who fell in love with the pole vault in the seventh grade and has been hard at work ever since.
Despite his accolades in the pole vault, Tommy said he was anything but a natural at first.
“It was something that I enjoyed so that kind of drove me to always want to pole vault every single chance that I got,” Skipper said. “It didn’t come naturally to me. I had to work at it every single chance I got.”
Being able to stay focused and maintain a strong work ethic are reasons Skipper has gotten this far. From an athletic standpoint, it was obvious he could accomplish anything if he put his mind to it.
Along with the pole vault, Skipper also starred in the 100-meter dash, the 200, the long jump, the high jump and the javelin. Outside of track and field, he was also a talented prep football player. As a wide receiver, he could out-jump almost any defensive back in the Mt. Hood Conference. When he wasn’t catching passes, he was showing off his leg as an all-state punter.
And as if Skipper’s athletic résumé wasn’t impressive enough, the San Diego Padres selected him in the 37th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, despite the fact Skipper had never played an inning of organized baseball in his life.
With other options available, it was Skipper’s love for track and his desire to be the best that kept him focused. That same competitive desire has rubbed off on his Oregon teammates in their pursuit of improvement.
“His work ethic and his demand for perfection (are motivating),” Woods said. “He almost gets too frustrated because he wants to be too perfect. The attitude that he brings about wanting to be the best is what we feed off of.”
While Skipper’s marks in the pole vault are congratulated by teammates, it’s his friendship that is appreciated. Getting into a conversation with the freshman about his marks will likely lead to a quick change in subject matter.
“If you start talking to (Skipper) about how he did, he’d rather just talk about how you did,” sophomore high jumper Jeff Lindsey said. “He’s such a laid-back guy that he’s fun to hang out with.”
If Skipper’s athleticism, attitude and contributions to the Oregon track and field program had to be summarized in one word, head coach Martin Smith prefers to use the G-word.
“The thing about Tommy you enjoy is how genuine he is,” Smith said. “He’s not about making himself out to be better than everyone else. He’s able to bring other nice qualities to the table. He wants to do everything he can to help the team. His strengths are deep-rooted inside of him and he has a very mature ability to carry himself in a way that he’s very comfortable around other people. What you see with Tommy is that he’s very sincere.”