Cindy Johnson likes to throw her weight around. And she’s very good at it!
“CJ,” as she preferred to be called, started training and competing in Highland Games in 2015 and in 2016 she gained a fifth place finish in the Highland Games Masters Championships for the Women’s Class of 55-plus. In 2017, she upped her game to earn a third place bronze medal. In both 2018 and 2019, she secured first place gold medals.
This past year she has achieved five world records in her age category: Heavy Weight Throw 14 lbs.; Light Weight Throw 9 lbs.; 14 lbs. Spinning Weight Over Bar (WOB); WOB 14 lbs.; and Sheaf Toss 10 lbs. See Scottish Masters Athletics International for details. The Sportswomen of Colorado note that her colleagues in the Rocky Mountain Scottish Athletes say, “CJ looks out for us, pushes us all, and makes us all laugh.”
Not only is CJ competitive in the Highland Games but she is a “passionate” member of Clan Forbes. Unfortunately, she’s been wearing a MacKenzie tartan kilt – but that changed starting this month. In a unanimous vote by the Clan Forbes Society Board of Directors, the Society has awarded its first cultural grant of $500 to help cover some of the costs of her own Forbes Modern Tartan Kilt. The announcement was during the January 2024 Clan Forbes Gathering, with both CJ and Clan Chief Malcolm, Lord Forbes, present.
CJ was visibly moved by the Board’s affirmation of her spirit and commitment. She will be wearing her Forbes kilt proudly at upcoming competitions throughout the United States – and she has been invited to compete in Australia.
See the announcement here: https://youtu.be/GDCErzc4qCA
See her success at throwing a caber at the Aztec Highland Games in 2015 here: https://www.facebook.com/AztecHighlandGames/videos/887161017999047/