By Katherine DeClerq
Name: MORGAN JARVIS
Sport: Rowing
Event: Lightweight Double Sculls
Age: 28
Residence: VICTORIA, BC
Associations: OTTAWA ROWING CLUB
Previous Olympics: FIRST
Morgan Jarvis didn’t always picture himself as an Olympian, but a move to the capital helped inspire him on that journey.
A Queen’s University law student, Jarvis had been articling at Gowling’s law firm in Ottawa before taking a year off to put his effort into making it big in London.
Jarvis says his coworkers at Gowling’s played a pivotal role in reaching for the Olympics by showing immense support for his athletic career.
“When I was working in the trade-marks group in 2008, one of the partners noted the national team rowing on my résumé,” Jarvis explains. “He started calling me an Olympic rower so I corrected him and explained that the World Champs are not the Olympics.
“He then asked why I didn’t go to the Olympics. I actually hadn’t thought of it in this way: why not?
“At the time, I just explained the higher level of commitment and sacrifice required to train full time, year-round at the training center, and how this would be required to compete at the Olympics and would entail too great a sacrifice to the rest of life.
“But he’d got me thinking about it. Each morning during the 2008 Olympics I’d come into work to find articles about the progress of the rowing team in Beijing sitting on my chair.
“That question – why not? – became ‘why not be the best you can be?’”
That question has motivated Jarvis to reach for the top. After a few years of comparatively casual rowing and national championships, Jarvis joined the Ottawa Rowing Club in hopes of making one final focused effort into his rowing career. After a year of intense training, his coach noticed his speed and stamina, realizing that he had the chops to be considered for the top qualifying team.
Owner of three international bronze medals (two in doubles at the under-23 worlds and another one in the quad at the World Championships), Jarvis is excited to put his experience, and dedicated journey, to good use – to do his best and get on the podium in the men’s lightweight double sculls competition.
Representing Canada at the Olympics is a dream come true for Jarvis, although he takes his roots in the sport from the other side of the globe.
He grew up in New Zealand while his father was posted there as Canadian High Commissioner, and it was also the place he developed a love for rowing.
“It’s a really friendly community,” highlights the 28-year-old. “I would be proud if it was the Kiwis and us on the podium.”
Competition schedule
Sun., July 29 – Heats, 5:10 a.m. ET
Tue., July 31 – Repechages, 4:30 a.m. ET
Wed., Aug. 1 – Semi-finals, 3:30 a.m. ET
Thu., Aug. 2 – Semi-finals, 4:50 a.m. ET
Sat., Aug. 4 – Final, 3:40 a.m. ET