Tom Penny
Encyclopedia
Tom Penny is a professional skateboarder from Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
, England
. He is well known in the skateboarding community for his calm style and natural abilities and as a master of frontside flips and many kickflip
variations. He is also known as one of the few talents to avoid the trappings of skateboarding fame.
, England
. He gained coverage in UK skate magazines such as RAD and Skateboard, as well as videos such as Rollersnakes 540 and 720, and was soon spotted by Flip Skateboards
owner Jeremy Fox and added to the Deathbox Skateboards team, which later combined with Bash Skateboards and re branded into Flip Skateboards
.
Around 1993, Tom made his first International video appearance in 411vm's video Issue 2 Wheels of Fortune at the age of 15, where he was filmed skating at the Radlands Skatepark in Northampton
, England
. He also made his debut at the UK Championships Contest at Radlands, where he came 3rd in a very high calibre field of US, UK and European pros. US pro Willy Santos won the contest.
Tom was back at Radlands in 1994 for the UK Championships again. This year a small group of US pros, seemingly lead by Mike Carroll, were openly heckling Tom for his unique style, maybe through jealousy as Tom was fast overtaking them and taking skateboarding to a completely new level . Tom brushed this aside in his casual manner and although not skating as well as in practise still finished in 6th place. US pro Mike Santarossa won the contest.
In late 1994 Flip Skateboards
left UK shores and moved to Huntington Beach, California
, the hub of world skateboarding. Along with other team members Geoff Rowley
, Andy Scott and Rune Glifberg
, Tom took the skateboard world by storm, amazing viewers with his small part in the Flip Skateboards
industry section in 411vm number 11, switch frontside flipping the infamous Carlsbad Gap and doing an amazing 5 trick downhill run without pushing or speed checking, ending in a backside tailslide on a 9 stair rail, only the second time this trick had been caught on video and the first time in a run. All of this done in an amazing smooth style that looked like he wasn't even trying.
Back in the UK, Tom ended up winning the 1995 Radlands UK Championships Contest which had by then evolved into one of the world's biggest contests. He beat over 100 other competitors including over 75 top US pros, such as Ray Barbee
, Tony Hawk
, Bob Burnquist, Andrew Reynolds
, Ed Templeton
, Eric Koston
, Phil Shao (now deceased), and Jamie Thomas
. His winning run is regarded as one of the best contest runs in history , and clearly cemented his place right in the upper ranks of Pro Skateboarding, quickly achieving legendary status . After the previous year's heckling, the skateboard world had now embraced Penny as the skater to lead it into a new generation where style came before anything else . By the end of 1995 Penny was widely regarded as the best all round skateboarder in the world , and received acclaim from such notable people as Tony Hawk
who was quoted saying to other Vert pros at a contest "If Tom Penny ever started skating Vert full time, we all might as well retire".
During his time in the US, Tom had video parts in the mid 90's such as Etnies
"Hi-Five" video, Transworld Skateboarding
"Uno", TSA's "Life in the Fast Lane", Balance in the World of Chaos, Dope Clothing's "Time for Tea" as well as numerous cameos in 411vm including the "Europe 1995" video. Tom could easily steal a whole video with just one or two tricks .
In 1997 after being at the very top of the Skateboarding world for only 3 or 4 years but having had enough of the spotlight and pro scene, he left California
for good and went to Europe
, keeping a low profile. He was living in Saint Victor, France
for many years with his mother at their holiday home, with time also spent in Barcelona
, Spain
. Rumour has it he got heavily into hard drugs and lost a few steps, but he made occasional appearances in France and Spain in the late 1990s and thereafter .
During the early years of the new Millennium, Tom reappeared and made his comeback in Flip Skateboards
classic videos, Sorry, Really Sorry & most recently Extremely Sorry.
After living in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
for a few years with his partner and young son, Tom is now back in Europe
, based in Barcelona, and in the last few months has been seen in The UK, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and France.
In fact there have been more sightings of Penny in 2011 than at any other time since the mid 1990's.
His partner is an Argentinian woman and they have a son, Nicholas, born in April 2003 .
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He is well known in the skateboarding community for his calm style and natural abilities and as a master of frontside flips and many kickflip
Kickflip
The Kickflip, Ollie Kickflip, or Ollie Flip is a skateboarding trick where the rider ollies and flips the board over in the air before landing.It was the first of many modern flip tricks to be invented by Rodney Mullen in the early 1980s....
variations. He is also known as one of the few talents to avoid the trappings of skateboarding fame.
Career
Tom was first spotted and sponsored by Sean Goff, ex pro skater and owner of SS20 skateshop in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He gained coverage in UK skate magazines such as RAD and Skateboard, as well as videos such as Rollersnakes 540 and 720, and was soon spotted by Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
owner Jeremy Fox and added to the Deathbox Skateboards team, which later combined with Bash Skateboards and re branded into Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
.
Around 1993, Tom made his first International video appearance in 411vm's video Issue 2 Wheels of Fortune at the age of 15, where he was filmed skating at the Radlands Skatepark in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He also made his debut at the UK Championships Contest at Radlands, where he came 3rd in a very high calibre field of US, UK and European pros. US pro Willy Santos won the contest.
Tom was back at Radlands in 1994 for the UK Championships again. This year a small group of US pros, seemingly lead by Mike Carroll, were openly heckling Tom for his unique style, maybe through jealousy as Tom was fast overtaking them and taking skateboarding to a completely new level . Tom brushed this aside in his casual manner and although not skating as well as in practise still finished in 6th place. US pro Mike Santarossa won the contest.
In late 1994 Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
left UK shores and moved to Huntington Beach, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the hub of world skateboarding. Along with other team members Geoff Rowley
Geoff Rowley
Geoff Rowley , is a professional skateboarder and co-owner of Flip Skateboards.- Professional Skateboarder :Rowley started skateboarding at age 12 in Liverpool, England...
, Andy Scott and Rune Glifberg
Rune Glifberg
Rune Glifberg is a professional skateboarder who currently resides in the Leucadia district of Encinitas, California. Glifberg began skating at age 11 after a friend brought a board over to his house. In the early 1990s, Glifberg turned professional as a vert skater and made the trek across the...
, Tom took the skateboard world by storm, amazing viewers with his small part in the Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
industry section in 411vm number 11, switch frontside flipping the infamous Carlsbad Gap and doing an amazing 5 trick downhill run without pushing or speed checking, ending in a backside tailslide on a 9 stair rail, only the second time this trick had been caught on video and the first time in a run. All of this done in an amazing smooth style that looked like he wasn't even trying.
Back in the UK, Tom ended up winning the 1995 Radlands UK Championships Contest which had by then evolved into one of the world's biggest contests. He beat over 100 other competitors including over 75 top US pros, such as Ray Barbee
Ray Barbee
Ray Barbee is an American skateboarder from San Jose, California. He was one of the first skateboarders to bring freestyle/flatland tricks to street, technical ollie combinations and numerous no comply variations....
, Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
, Bob Burnquist, Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynolds, , is a professional skateboarder and he rides his skateboard with a regular footed stance. Andrew Reynolds' nicknames are Drew, The Boss, and Turtle Boy. He is the owner of Baker Skateboards, and Brigada Eyewear. He is creative director of Altamont Apparel...
, Ed Templeton
Ed Templeton
Edward "Ed" Templeton is a professional skateboarder and a contemporary artist who resides in Huntington Beach, California. -Biography:...
, Eric Koston
Eric Koston
Eric Koston is a Thai American professional skater who grew up in San Bernardino, California.He began skating in 1986 and remains active. He was first sponsored in 1991 and turned pro in 1993. He has been featured in the "Tony Hawk" video game series and "EA" Skate 2 and Skate 3...
, Phil Shao (now deceased), and Jamie Thomas
Jamie Thomas
Jamie Thomas , is an American professional skateboarder and skateboard industry magnate from Dothan, Alabama. He is the co-owner of Zero Skateboards and Fallen Footwear.-Skateboarding career:...
. His winning run is regarded as one of the best contest runs in history , and clearly cemented his place right in the upper ranks of Pro Skateboarding, quickly achieving legendary status . After the previous year's heckling, the skateboard world had now embraced Penny as the skater to lead it into a new generation where style came before anything else . By the end of 1995 Penny was widely regarded as the best all round skateboarder in the world , and received acclaim from such notable people as Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
who was quoted saying to other Vert pros at a contest "If Tom Penny ever started skating Vert full time, we all might as well retire".
During his time in the US, Tom had video parts in the mid 90's such as Etnies
Etnies
thumb|Picture of an etnies shoeEtnies is an American footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, and owned by Sole Technology, Inc. In 2003, etnies, along with the city of Lake Forest, California opened etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest, the largest public skatepark in the state, with over of...
"Hi-Five" video, Transworld Skateboarding
Transworld Skateboarding
Transworld SKATEboarding is a skateboarding magazine, website, and production company.Founded in 1983, TWS was a response to Thrasher Magazine and specifically to the December 1982 article ‘Skate and Destroy’ written by C.R...
"Uno", TSA's "Life in the Fast Lane", Balance in the World of Chaos, Dope Clothing's "Time for Tea" as well as numerous cameos in 411vm including the "Europe 1995" video. Tom could easily steal a whole video with just one or two tricks .
In 1997 after being at the very top of the Skateboarding world for only 3 or 4 years but having had enough of the spotlight and pro scene, he left California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for good and went to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, keeping a low profile. He was living in Saint Victor, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for many years with his mother at their holiday home, with time also spent in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Rumour has it he got heavily into hard drugs and lost a few steps, but he made occasional appearances in France and Spain in the late 1990s and thereafter .
During the early years of the new Millennium, Tom reappeared and made his comeback in Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
classic videos, Sorry, Really Sorry & most recently Extremely Sorry.
After living in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for a few years with his partner and young son, Tom is now back in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, based in Barcelona, and in the last few months has been seen in The UK, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and France.
In fact there have been more sightings of Penny in 2011 than at any other time since the mid 1990's.
Personal life
He was also famous for putting his stamp on a series of graphics used on skateboard decks and consequentially, t-shirts and hoodies. Tom Penny's graphics for Flip contained numerous drug references, while specifically extolling the virtues of psychedelic mushrooms and smoking Pot. His Cheech and Chong, Alice and Wonderland, and Mushroom related graphic skateboards decks and clothing were a huge sale in the 90's, especially among younger rebellious kids who were drawn to the memorabilia because of its controversial subject matter .His partner is an Argentinian woman and they have a son, Nicholas, born in April 2003 .
Sponsors
- Flip SkateboardsFlip SkateboardsFlip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
- Supra Footwear
- KR3WKR3WKR3W is a skateboarding apparel company based in Costa Mesa, California, founded and owned by Angel Cabada in 2002. Cabada was previously a partner in TSA Clothing, another skateboard apparel company, but left shortly before its demise. In 2006, KR3W launched a skateboard footwear company, Supra...
- Ricta wheels
- Fury Trucks
- Mob Griptape
Videography
- 411 Video Magazine Issue 2 - Wheels of Fortune (1993)
- EtniesEtniesthumb|Picture of an etnies shoeEtnies is an American footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, and owned by Sole Technology, Inc. In 2003, etnies, along with the city of Lake Forest, California opened etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest, the largest public skatepark in the state, with over of...
- Hi-5 (1995) - Transworld SkateboardingTransworld SkateboardingTransworld SKATEboarding is a skateboarding magazine, website, and production company.Founded in 1983, TWS was a response to Thrasher Magazine and specifically to the December 1982 article ‘Skate and Destroy’ written by C.R...
- Uno (1996) - Dope Clothing - Time for Tea (1996)
- TSA - Life in the Fast Lane (1996)
- Transworld SkateboardingTransworld SkateboardingTransworld SKATEboarding is a skateboarding magazine, website, and production company.Founded in 1983, TWS was a response to Thrasher Magazine and specifically to the December 1982 article ‘Skate and Destroy’ written by C.R...
- Anthology (2000) - És Shoes - Menikmati (2002)
- Flip SkateboardsFlip SkateboardsFlip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
- Feast tour - Flip SkateboardsFlip SkateboardsFlip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
- Sorry (2002) - Flip SkateboardsFlip SkateboardsFlip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
- Really Sorry (2003) - Flip SkateboardsFlip SkateboardsFlip Skateboards is a US-based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley. The company produces skateboard decks, wheels, and clothing. Flip is distributed by NHS Distribution in the US.- History :...
- Extremely Sorry (2009)