Over the years, Rayven Sample’s love for the sport of track and field has grown immensely.

The current Bucknell University freshman and former standout and state champion relay member for Falconer/Cassadaga Valley has put in countless hours of practice to hone his abilities and put himself in a position to be successful.

This summer, all that hard work may result in a truly incredible opportunity: representing the United States at the Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo.

To kick off the classification process, Sample is preparing to take part in the Desert Challenge Games in Arizona, which will run through the weekend.

If all goes well in Arizona, Sample will then head to Minnesota June 17-20 to compete in the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials. The Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo are currently scheduled to begin Aug. 24.

Originally, the Paralympic Summer Games were slated to take place in 2020, but COVID-19 thwarted those efforts.

Making it to Tokyo will certainly be a demanding process, but Sample feels prepared due in part to his freshman campaign as a member of the track and field team at Bucknell.

“I really love Bucknell,” the psychology and education major said. “It is a great experience being there and I have great coaches. Both my strength coach and my event coach are just truly amazing. And the people there and the atmosphere is just super fun. I felt very challenged in school in a good way. Like I know that I was there, and I was learning a lot. And then with track and field, there were just a lot of opportunities. The facilities are great. I certainly feel like through all of that, I am pretty ready for this summer.”

Sample was born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis, which causes joint contracture that limits his range of motion. However, he has never let that condition hinder his abilities on the track and his work ethic has always caught the eye of those who have had the chance to work closely with him.

“His determination (impresses me),” said Nick Spry, one of Sample’s high school coaches with whom he has become close. “He is just always determined to (accomplish his goals) no matter what.”

Along with his extreme determination, Sample has some added motivation this summer, as he would love to honor his grandmother, Kathy, who passed away at the beginning of his first semester at Bucknell.

“She was always my biggest fan in high school,” Sample explained. “(She) loved going to every single meet.”

Representing the United States in international competition has been on Sample’s mind for quite some time. That chance is now within reach and he is certainly looking forward to what lies ahead in the coming months.

“I love track and field,” he said. “It feels so weird to not do track and field. … One time at Bucknell we were not able to practice for like a week and it just felt weird. … I cannot explain how important this is because I am doing the thing that I love and then I am kind of able to hit the highest point of that athletic pursuit. It is scary at times, but it is truly just so exciting because I am able to show what I have worked so hard to do.”