Tom Penny (born 13 April 1977)[1] is a professional skateboarder from Abingdon, United Kingdom (UK).
There were no magazines, no skate shop, and we had no vision of the outside world of skateboarding; so, people who influenced me when I was younger, growing up, would be the friends that I grew up skateboarding with: Justin Parker, Erin Chalice, Pete Crucioli and Thomas Kilpatrick.
[4]Penny was spotted by Oxford local pro and SS20 co-owner Sean Goff and added to the SS20 shop team.
He quickly gained coverage in UK skate magazines, including RAD and Skateboard!, and was featured in videos such as Rollersnakes 540 and 720.
[1][6] In late 1994, Flip left UK shores and relocated to Huntington Beach, California, US, the "heart" of world skateboarding.
Along with other team members, Rowley, Scott and Glifberg, Penny exerted a significant impact on the skateboarding sub-culture with his small part in the Flip industry section in 411VM's "Issue 11"; his switch frontside flip at the Carlsbad Gap; and a five-trick downhill run that ended in a backside tailslide on a nine-stair handrail.
By the end of 1995, Penny had received acclaim from notable professional skateboarders, such as Tony Hawk.
During his time in the US, Penny released video parts in the mid-1990s, such as Etnies' Hi-Five, Transworld Skateboarding's Uno, TSA's Life in the Fast Lane, Balance in the World of Chaos and Dope Clothing's Time for Tea.
During this period, Penny also received his first cover photograph for Transworld, in which he is performing a frontside bluntslide in Huntington Beach.
[4] Skin Phillips, Transworld's former editor-in-chief, stated: "The other thing with Tom and really all the Flip guys when they came over was that they were absolutely unfazed by contests or demos.
Tom’s technique, on any terrain, was so fluid and nonchalant that within six months of his arrival on US soil back in '94, every pro on the planet wanted to skate like him.
Penny beat over 100 other competitors, including over 75 US professionals, including Ray Barbee, Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Andrew Reynolds, Ed Templeton, Eric Koston, Phil Shao (now deceased) and Jamie Thomas.