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Two former Lawrence North Wildcats headed to Olympic Games in Rio

Families, coaches hoping for help to join them
Posted at 12:38 AM, Jul 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-14 00:38:45-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two former Lawrence North High School students will be competing in the track and field events at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Ashley Spencer and Felisha Johnson will be competing in the 400-meter hurdles and shotput events, respectively. And both their families and coaches are pulling out all the stops to get to the games to support them.

"When she made the team … to see your child do everything that they've ever hoped was one of the best moments of my life," said Spencer's mother, Rita Spencer.

Spencer began her legacy at Lawrence North, winning individual titles and state championships. One of her teammates was Johnson, who also punched her ticket to Rio with a shotput distance of just over 63 feet. Her father has a prediction for the games.

"I don't want to see wolf tickets, or hype it up, but that's the goal: to bring the gold home," Ronald Johnson said. "And it can be done."

The Olympians' families are hoping for help to get them to Rio. They've set up GoFundMe pages titled "LN Coaches Go to Rio" and "On Track to Rio." Altogether, they say they need to raise about $10,000 to make it happen.