When riding alongside UW sophomore Marie-Anne Johnson in her gold Volvo, it’s not uncommon to hear a variety of banging and booming noises coming from the trunk. But unlike the inside of a typical college student’s car, the commotion isn’t caused from an array of scattered textbooks, empty beer cans or food containers; instead, as Johnson’s friends have witnessed, the trunk is home to her arsenal of weapons.

As UW sophomore Tiffany Walter explained, “Marie-Anne is intense about fencing.”

Since 2003, Johnson has competed in the North American Cup and Summer Nationals every year, winning the bronze medal with her women’s foil team in 2006.

But in the fall of 2008, a shocking diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer halted Johnson’s training.

In January, she underwent a thyroidectomy, was placed on a strict diet and underwent radioactive iodine treatment, which kept her out of school and fencing practice for weeks.

Despite the setback, Johnson is determined to make it to nationals in July.

“I’m almost four months behind everyone in training, so I’ve got to work harder to get back to where I’m supposed to be,” she said.

Johnson was introduced to fencing in seventh grade, when her parents forced her into taking a private lesson at the Salle Auriol Seattle club on Harrison Street.

“They had been taking group classes at the Salle and wanted my brother and I to try it,” Johnson recalled. “The irony is that I was dreading it as much as my brother was looking forward to it, but after the lessons, our opinions were completely reversed.”

Over the years, Johnson’s passion for fencing has grown stronger. Despite heavy class loads, she trains year-round, driving to and from the Salle many times each week.

“I try to make sure my schedule makes fencing possible, giving myself more homework and study time,” Johnson said. “Sometimes it can be hard when there are weekend tournaments, but generally, it works out.”

Since her diagnosis, Johnson has had to work even harder to make her schedule work. Her teammates say if there’s anyone who can make it happen, it’s Johnson.

“Saying Marie-Anne is very smart or that she works very hard would both be extreme understatements,” said former Salle fencer Kyle Reardon. “When she gets on the strip, you can see all of the stress pushed aside, and for that bout, tournament or practice session, nothing else exists.”

In addition to her own training, Johnson has coached an after-school fencing program the last three years and recently began moderating practices for advanced juniors.

“Now that I fence at Salle, Marie-Anne will come coach me during my bouts and is a great support that way,” said junior Jenny Wang. “She is a good, aggressive fencer who is not scared to take risks.”

Reach reporter Katie McVicker at news@dailyuw.com.