Five-time NBA champion Earvin “Magic” Johnson will not be the only one bringing some magic to the 28th annual RBC JCC Sports Dinner.
Elliot Lake’s Korey Jarvis, who finished 8th in the heavyweight wrestling division at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will also be inspiring guests at the March 3 fundraiser.
Also attending the event Jarvis, who retired from wrestling in November, will be hosting a table and sharing his own magic sporting moment with guests.
“Sports are filled with amazing moments, but for me, for something to feel magical I think it has to be rare and totally unexpected,” said Jarvis, who now lives in Guelph. “I think this is how Magic Johnson earned his nickname because there was just no other way to explain his style of play.”
“The opening ceremonies at an Olympic Games are as fun for athletes as it looks on TV,” said Jarvis, who proves that magic moments can also happen off the field of play. “It’s a lot of smiling and laughing and waving, but when they lit the Olympic cauldron, I’d have to describe it as magical. The feeling that came over me was so strong and so unexpected, and something I would never experience, it literally lit a fire in me that stayed with me through the whole games.”
In addition to keynote speaker Magic Johnson, Jarvis will be joined at the event by Team Canada field hockey stars John Smythe and Kate Wright, 2016 Olympic Bronze medalists Megan Lukan (rugby) and Laura Brown (team pursuit cycling), 11-time national boxing champion Mandy Bujold, and Olympic swimmer Kierra Smith.
“It’s such an honour to join this group of athletes, all with their own magic moment to share,” said Jarvis. “How many Canadian athletes can say they’ve shared a stage, even a virtual one, with the Magic man himself?”
Jarvis, an Elliot Lake Secondary grad, won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and silver in both 2010 and 2018. In the Pan Am Games, he won bronze in 2019 and silver in the Toronto Games in 2015. The former member of the Elliot Lake Gladiators wrestling club also starred at the University of Guelph.
RBC JCC Sports Dinner tickets are available for $36.00 at JCCSportsdinner.com.
Tickets include access to an exclusive fireside chat with “Magic” Johnson and a silent auction with highly curated experiences and sports memorabilia. Only one ticket per household required.
The annual fundraiser enables Jewish Community Centre scholarships and programs for members of the community who would not otherwise have access.