‘Every stone is a new challenge’: New York man resurrecting old practice of Stone Lifting
By Derek Heid
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NIAGARA FALLS, New York (WKBW) — John Johnson in Niagara Falls is a pioneer of a sport you’ve probably never heard of, Stone Lifting. Now, he’s seeking to get the word out for more people to get involved.
“Every stone is a different story, every stone is a new challenge,” Johnson said. “When I first started, it was just something I did to do outdoor fitness, I had no idea the cultural aspect of it.”
The history of stone lifting goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years, and was used in cultures all across the world.
“It was a way to get employed. If you could lift a certain stone, you could become a farmer or a warrior,” Johnson said.
John walks through parks across Western New York looking for rocks to test his strength, his favorite spot, Reservoir Park in Niagara Falls.
After nearly two decades of stone lifting, John has earned a title of his own, “Rock Man.”
Johnson has his “Rock Man” nickname printed on the back of his shirt.
“I thought it was stupid at first, like that’s a B-grade superhero name, but because of my faith in Jesus Christ, the rock of ages, I’m a man of the rock, so I like it,” Johnson said.
John “Rock Man” Johnson has one goal for his stone lifting passion, spread it to other people.
7 News reporter Derek Heid tried stone lifting for the first time along side Johnson. He already runs a Facebook group, called ‘Etched in Stone’ with 2,500 members across the world. Most everyone, sharing their own stone lifting videos with the group.
Johnson’s hope is to find even more stone lifters like him.
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