The following is being distributed at the request of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador:

Samantha Ralph Badminton Training Fund

Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to announce the establishment of the Samantha Ralph Badminton Training Fund, to assist Sandy Cove native, Samantha Ralph, in her bid to be named to the National Junior Badminton team which will compete at the 2004 World Junior Badminton Championships in Vancouver this fall.

Seventeen year old Ralph left her family and friends behind when she moved to Montreal in August of 2003 to train full-time at the nationally recognized Atwater Badminton Club, with two professional coaches and a personal trainer. If Badminton Canada's most recent rankings are any

indication, the move has paid off in a big way. With just four months of professional coaching (compared to four and more years of professional training many of her competitors have enjoyed) Ralph is already ranked first in junior girls' doubles, second in singles and fourth in mixed doubles.

Amid the tremendous effort it has taken to establish herself almost overnight as one of the top three junior ranked females in the country, Ralph is also completing her Grade 12 (and maintaining a straight A average) by correspondence and e-mail with the co-operation and assistance of her teachers at Glovertown Academy.

Samantha Ralph is an extremely bright, talented, dedicated and driven athlete who consistently and proudly represents her province with a high degree of integrity on the national scene. The Samantha Ralph Badminton Training Fund, will accept donations from individuals and

corporations, and issue Income Tax Receipts (2004) for donations of $20 and over. Donors must simply sign a form letter available from Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador, signifying the purpose to which their donation is to be used, and forward it, along with a cheque or

money order, to the fund administrator. This trust fund is made possible through the National Sport Trust Fund, administered by Sport Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information about the Samantha Ralph Badminton Training Fund, or to make a donation, please contact

Janice Reid Boland, Executive Director, Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador, at (709) 576-7606, or badminton@sportnf.com

2004 02 04                                       11:15 a.m.