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Bucknell-bound

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Sample signs with?Bison

OBSERVER File Photo Rayven Sample, who won a championship in the NYSPHSAA Division II 1,600-meter relay and finished 12th in the 400 meters last season, will continue his academic and athletic careers at Bucknell University in the fall.

Rayven Sample’s track and field ability was supposed to take him to Minnesota and Arizona this summer.

He possibly would’ve had to make a stop in London on his way to Tokyo.

Instead, the coronavirus pandemic kept him home in Gerry.

While some of the future destinations on his athletic journey may be up in the air right now, one is fairly certain.

Next fall, the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley star will be attending Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to run for the Bison.

OBSERVER File Photo

“I started achieving at a higher level and the possibility arose as I grew and my abilities grew,” Sample said Sunday afternoon about running collegiately. “I felt I could go one step higher and another step higher. Everything fell together.”

Sample signed his national letter of intent to attend the NCAA Division I institution, which is a member of the Patriot League, on Tuesday surrounded by his grandparents, Tom and Kathy Sample.

“The opportunity to run Division I was a big part of it,” Sample said. “I visited the school and walked the campus. I just loved the energy there. It felt a lot like home — less rural — but still home-like. The facilities are insane. … The teaching staff, just everything about the school. I just knew.”

It caps an impressive career for the Cassadaga Valley senior, who will graduate Friday.

Born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis causing joint contracture that limits his range of motion, Sample began to stand out on the track early in his high school career.

Submitted Photo Rayven Sample, seated center, signed his national letter of intent Tuesday to attend Bucknell University. He is flanked by his grandparents, Tom, left, and Kathy.

As a sophomore, he attended the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships as part of the 3,200-meter relay with his teammates.

“My freshman year, I was just hoping to reach states,” Sample said. “In 10th grade, I was just happy to go.”

A year later, Sample and his Golden Cougars’ 1,600-meter relay teammates, Austin Johns, Bryce Baglia and Collin Barmore, won the Division II championship with a time of 3:21.11. Individually at the state meet, Sample finished 12th in the 400 meters with a clocking of 50.81 seconds.

“After the 4-by-4 state championship, that’s when I thought about possibly going D1,” Sample said. “I received a letter that put me on the radar, then I reached out to them and started the conversation. … Track is a sport where you have to put yourself out there. A time is a time and numbers are numbers … but slowly they talk to you and the kind of person you are is what seals the deal.”

This spring was supposed to be an opportunity to defend that relay crown and possibly reach the podium in the 400 meters, but an injury suffered during indoor track season and COVID-19 drastically altered how Sample and his Golden Cougars’ teammate would end their high school careers.

“At the end of indoor, I had a stress reaction in my left foot that put me out a few months,” Sample said. “Not having an (outdoor) season gave me the time to fully heal. Without that time off, I would’ve been juggling how much I could do while also healing. With everything that happened, it was kind of a blessing in disguise.

“It definitely was a bummer to lose that opportunity to compete with my teammates,” he added. “My 400 was always a side goal for me. I have always loved the team aspect of a relay. To win a 400 is awesome, but I wanted to make sure three other guys have an amazing opportunity and share that bond.”

At Bucknell, Sample and the Bison will run an indoor season from December until early March before heading outdoors for the remainder of the academic year. Sample expects to continue running the 400 meters and sprinkling in a few relays, but would also like to pick up a few sprints in the future.

“I’d like to maybe work down toward the 200 and the 100 instead of going longer like in high school,” he said. “I want to see if I can compete at that level.”

Additionally, at the conclusion of his high school career, Sample was going through the process of being classified for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

“My understanding is everything was pushed to next year,” Sample said about the Japan games, which are scheduled to run Tuesday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 5. “I’ll still be working with Coach Spry for the Paralympic deal while being at Bucknell. I’m very thankful that he’s been helping me with all of that so I can focus on training.”

A GoFundMe account was established at the start of the paralympic process to help offset the estimated $10,000 to $15,000 it would cost Sample to travel for the classification and competitions. To date, nearly $12,000 has been raised.

Now, instead of his senior year at Cassadaga Valley, Sample will use his freshman year at Bucknell to prepare for the chance of a lifetime.

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