TIVERTON, RI (WPRI) — This week’s Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Julia Lavery.

The Tiverton native picked up the sport of Jiu Jitsu in 2023 and last Spring the 13-year-old made a splash on the biggest stage, bringing home a Bronze medal at the North American Grappling Association’s Kids World Championships..

“Lots of my friends and family were there to support me,” Lavery said. “There were many people from around the world and I competed against someone from the Philippines. It was every exciting. I was glad that I even placed, even though it wasn’t first.”

Lavery tried Gymnastics and Dance, but neither sport clicked for her. When she and her Father found Jiu Jitsu, she was hooked.

“I just like everything, the competition. I like making new friends in Jiu Jitsu, I just like grappling in general,” Lavery said. “And everything about the sport is just so great and there are so many people that support me, and I just love it.”

The Fall means the start of Julia’s competitive season. She’ll be taking part in tournaments around the region with the goal of bringing back Gold at the World Kids Tournament in March. Her dream is to one day fight professionally in the UFC.

“I think it’s going to take really good dedication and hard work; it’s not going to be easy,” Lavery said. “But I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully live my dream.”

“These schools really like Connor not only for what he is now, but for what he’s going to become in the future and that speaks back to his work ethic and how hard he works and puts the time in,” Van Rossum said. “So as far as these schools being interested, I can see a dozen schools offering him after these open gyms.”

“She’s a warrior, she’s a competitor, she’ll grind,” said Tommy Teixeira, her coach at the Regiment Training Center. “Whatever it takes, she has the commitment to do it. She has the desire to do it, and that’s all it really takes in this sport. She’s talented, she’s athletic. I think she has a bright future.”

If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you’d like to nominate, email sports@wpri.com.

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