WILMINGTON, N.C. – Erica Julien isn't your typical great grandmother and her favorite hobby isn't anything remotely docile. She's a world champion fencer and she would've been competing in Croatia as part of the United States world team this year, if the pandemic hadn't interrupted plans.

“It was exciting...and then it was gone,” says Julien.

She qualified for the event last December, to many people's surprise, including her own. However, the shock wasn't because she didn't deserve it, but because she was competing in the weaker of her two weapons categories. This is Julien's fourth time earning a spot on the world team but her first time making it with a saber.

“Saber is my second weapon and they really didn't expect me to do that well, but I came in second,” she says. “And it wasn't just an easy win because I had to work my way up.”

Julien and her coach joke that fencing is the safest sport you can do during a pandemic. She's covered from head to toe in a protective uniform and wears a face mask through the entire competition. The whole goal is to avoid being touched by her opponent. But unfortunately, that is irrelevant when considering an international competition.

Until the time when competitions resume, Julien will continue practicing the sport she's come to love. She takes on all kind of opponents, many of whom are half her age. She likes the challenge of being pushed and although she walks away bumped and bruised, she never wants anyone to take it easy on her because of her age.

“It's very disappointing when they can beat you but I'm up for the game,” she says. “I don't care how tall you are, how fast you are, I'm willing to fence you. I don't want to win because somebody goes, 'Oh, just give her a break.'”

Julien didn't start fencing until much later in life after her husband passed away. She uses her story to encourage anyone to try something new and step outside your comfort zone. She says you might just find what you've been missing all your life, like she did.

“If I can start when I'm not young, anyone can do this,” says Julien.