Tomlinson and Garrett Victorious in Winterberg German Open

Contact: Orville Garrett, Head Skeleton Intercontinental Cup Coach

(518) 523-1842
For Immediate Release
November 24, 2009

Tomlinson and Garrett Victorious in Winterberg German Open

Winterberg, Germany – Rain may have been pelting furiously on the rooftops but that didn’t deter the top Americans from walking away with the Gold. Orville Garrett (Mt Washington, MA.) and Keslie Tomlinson (Potomac Falls, VA) were victorious in an epic double’s badminton match today in the Winterberg German Open. The two game win over Caleb Smith (Lake Placid, NY) and Kimber Gabryszak (Yentna Station, AK) lasted a grueling hour on the frigid courts of the Aktivita Sports Complex.

Behind by 6 points early in the first match, Orville burst off the serve line using his beer gut to generate momentum. However, Coach Garrett claimed to use his curves in another manner, “I think my physique actually impaired their vision and we took full advantage of the opportunity” remarked Garrett. Tomlinson quickly became the most improved player of the even after picking up a racquet for the first time and swinging brilliantly to take the win 21 - 17. “Orvie and I had instant chemistry on the court… our communication struggled at first but instinct took over and we became an unstoppable duo.”

The second match kept the small nation fan club on their toes as the top Americans battled it out. One spectator described the competition as “a real nail-biter”. Caleb continued to side shuffle vigorously engaging his rotund calves but it was not enough to overtake Tomlinson and Garrett. “It’s good to know Orvie has a talent”, said Smith bitterly, who regrets not taking his competitors seriously. Teammate Gabryszak became visibly troubled with every whiff of the shuttlecock but kept a positive attitude throughout her first major tournament. “It was a humbling experience, Orvie doesn’t look like much but he sure has a mean spike”, she remarked. The second match wrapped up with a score of 21 – 16.

“It was a well fought battle fought by Kimber and Caleb but we out powered them in the end” commented Garrett and Tomlinson as they high-fived in mid air. This will go down in history as the biggest upset in badminton history.

Garrett went on to unofficially destroy his competition and showing off his superior skills in a two-against-one exhibition match. Kimber Gabryszak and Matt Antoine hung up their raquettes and retired shortly there after.

This email was sent by the members of the Intercontinental Cup Skeleton Team., a member of the US Olympic committee. Our contact information is:



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(Written by: Keslie Tomlinson)

** You'll be seeing a bunch of these fun press releases throughout our European tour... they are all events that our team has created and used as team bonding activities. We've really had a blast together this first week and hopefully will continue to be entertained off the track!!