The Weight of the World

Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Haworth is a rare commodity: a woman who lifts weights in the international arena. She's the top-ranking lifter of any gender in the United States, tips the scales at more than 300 pounds and boasts a twelve-generation American lineage. Her greatest moment was winning the bronze at...

By Susan Froyd

May 17, 2012

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Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Haworth is a rare commodity: a woman who lifts weights in the international arena. She's the top-ranking lifter of any gender in the United States, tips the scales at more than 300 pounds and boasts a twelve-generation American lineage. Her greatest moment was winning the bronze at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. But now, as her career slows down, hampered by injuries and age, Haworth must face the truth of what's left after the glory's gone.

She's the subject of Strong!, a film by documentarian Julie Wyman, who captures Haworth's fight to fit into a world that doesn't neces-sarily reward women who are built like a barrel. Although the 75-minute portrait will air in July as part of PBS's Independent Lens series, Rocky Mountain PBS's Community Cinema program is offering an advance screening tonight at the Denver FilmCenter; 2510 East Colfax Avenue.

Strong! rolls at 7 p.m.; admission is free, but preregistration is required to ensure seating. Go to www.rmpbs.org/cinema for information and reservations.
Wed., May 23, 7 p.m., 2012

Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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