The Wizards took on Air Walpole, a team made up of Walpole Superintendent Lincoln Lynch, principals from area schools, several teachers and staff from Walpole Public Schools, Walpole Police Chief John Carmichael, and many more community leaders, officials, and citizens.During the game, the Wizards performed a number of tricks while at the same time playing a standard game of basketball. They tossed the basketball to each other in sync during choreographed routines, and performed elaborate plays and slam dunks. They also brought several lucky children into the show through contests, basketball challenges, and a raffle to become an honorary Wizard.
The event was organized by the Fisher PAC to raise money to build an outdoor basketball court for Fisher kids to enjoy. The Fisher PAC had already raised about $12,500 before the event. By the end of the night, the Fisher PAC had raised an additional $5,000.
“The guys from the Harlem Wizards were phenomenal. They were unbelievable. They interacted with the crowd so well,” said Fisher PAC member Bobbi Bingham. “I think [the kids] just loved to see the community members out having fun.”
Bingham was the one who first came up with the idea of having the Harlem Wizards at Walpole High. She enjoyed their performance when she was a kid, and when she heard they were playing at a friend’s school in Marblehead, she reached out and began the talks that eventually lead to the event.
Several teachers from the Fisher School also played on the Air Walpole team. Fisher physical education teacher Jennifer Hornsleth was one of the teachers representing Fisher on the team. Although she was nervous at first, she ended up enjoying the game.
“I was very excited to help out in any way that I could. I think it went great. It seems like everyone had a great time,” Fisher said. “I was so nervous at the beginning of the game but it was so fun. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”
Maura Garrity, who also works at Fisher, played for team Air Walpole as well. She was impressed with the success of the event.
“I think that there was so much effort behind this. I can’t even imagine all the behind the scenes work that went into it. The Harlem Wizards were great, everybody was super nice. There was a great turnout,” Garrity said.
The audience were not the only ones who thought the event went off without a hitch. Harlem Wizard Arthur Lewis, Jr, whose Wizard name is “King Arthur,” could see how hyped the crowd was even from the court.
“It was fantastic. The energy was off the charts. It was a great time, I really enjoyed myself and the community enjoyed itself and it came together for a good time,” Lewis said.
See more photos at
https://hometownweekly.smugmug.com/Walpole/Walpole-Events/Harlem-Wizards-WHS-92015.
Hometown Weekly Staff
