Buffalo's Rayven Sample In Search of Paralympic Dream


Last year, we profiled a Junior athlete from Falconer, just outside of Buffalo.  That athlete was Rayven Sample, a sub-50 400m leg on the D2 State Championship 4x400m team. Since then, Sample has been identified as an athlete well in range of hitting the Paralympic Standard for that event, for the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.  There are some specific costs identified with qualifying for that process, and Sample's Coach out forth the call for aide on GoFundMe.  You can read more below.


Check out the GoFundMe by clicking here

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Rayven Sample, an athlete from the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley Cross Country and Outdoor Track team, and the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Frewsburg/Maple Grove/Randolph Indoor Track team has the opportunity to represent Team USA in this years Paralympics in Tokyo! In order to qualify Rayven must travel to Arizona for 4 days to get specially classified and then again to Minnesota for the Team USA Olympic Qualifiers. He may also have to take a trip to London for further classification. Rayven must pay for his own travel, boarding and entry fees to these events out of pocket, which will end up costing nearly $10,000! Rayven can not pay for this on his own. That is why we are looking for help. Any amount that you can donate will go a long way in helping Rayven  earn a spot on the USA Paralympic team. 

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For those of you who know Rayven, you know Rayven deserves this chance. Rayven has fought through adversity his whole life to get to the point he is at today. Last year, Rayven became a NYS Champion in the 4x400 relay along with Bryce Baglia, Collin Barmore and Austin Johns. There, he was noticed by the USA Olympic Committee, who approached Rayven and encouraged him to take this road. Based on current times, Rayven not only has a great chance of making the USA Team, he could be a front runner to win a Paralympic medal! Please help Rayven take advantage of this opportunity to bring home a Paralympic Medal from Tokyo!

Rayvens first hurdle is April 1st in Phoenix Arizona, where he will spend 4 days going through the classification process to determine which category he will race in based on is disability.  The total cost  of this trip will be roughly $2000 to $3000. So, our 1st goal is to get to that number by the end of February so we can start booking flights and hotel rooms! Please pass this along to anyone you may know who is willing to help!