By Kayla Bruch

Car crash forces jiu jitsu athlete to take year off

Sep 30, 2014 | 7:05 AM

Even though his life has been flipped upside down, jiu jitsu athlete Cody Bowman remains positive.

Bowman is still recovering from injuries he sustained on July 9, after being hit head-on by another vehicle. 

Bowman said he was driving in his car alone down a grid road to see his girlfriend when his car was hit.

“I was back on my reserve at Ahtahkakoop [First Nation] and I was nicely driving and some drunk drivers hit me head on and I broke both the bones in my left leg,” said Bowman.

He had surgery on his femur and surgery to replace his tibia with a rod. He also sustained three fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

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Bowman said there were three men in the truck that collided with him. He said his car was a total write off, and the crash was so severe he was airlifted to hospital, and spent a week there.

“I was pinned in the car for two and a half hours,” said Bowman. “They had to use the Jaws of Life to come get me out and then they air lifted me to Saskatoon Royal University Hospital.”

Bowman said he is still waiting for charges to be filed and the police continue to investigate the collision.

Corey Lillis, co-owner of Complete Martial Arts and Fitness in Prince Albert, where Bowman trains, said he was scheduled to turn pro this fall.

“Bowman was supposed to fight, actually Oct. 3 in a really big Mixed Martial Arts event,” said Lillis. However, “he sustained a whole bunch of serious injuries that have probably sidelined his MMA career for a year, year and a half.”

Bowman has been doing jiu jitsu for a year and a half but only entered his first grappling tournament at the beginning of spring; where he finished first and second. Lillis said Bowman competed in the Arm Bar Honour Fight, which is a type of submission fight. 

Lillis said being on crutches hasn’t stopped Bowman from coming to the gym every day and doing his part to help out with younger athletes. He said Bowman is extremely passionate about the sport and the club. Lillis knows he will make a full recovery. 

“I’ve never met someone with more heart and determination to work through his rehabilitation and to resume his career,” said Lillis.

Bowman’s doctor said everything’s lining up again and Bowman just has to stay off his foot until Oct. 12. 

Lillis said Bowman is definitely a true inspiration to everyone who trains at Complete. 

It’s a bittersweet year for the club

Lillis and Co-owner, Kelly Parent have both been involved in jiu jitsu for around seven years.

This Nov. 1 and 2, the two owners will compete in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation World Masters in Long Beach, California. 

Lillis said they are extremely excited to go down there and test their skills against athletes from all over the world. 

“We’ve always believed that exposing our athletes to international competition is the best way to bring up the skill level in P.A. and northern Saskatchewan,” said Lillis.

Lillis said his competition philosophy is there is never any losing in competition. He said it’ll be a great experience either way.

“If I go down and I lose my two matches I can only learn more, I can only learn that there’s maybe a couple things that I haven’t learned so far in my jiu jitsu journey,” said Lillis. “If I never expose myself to the highest level of competition then I’ll never fully grow in the art.”

But the club is celebrating another kind of success.

It recently moved to 1108 Central Avenue, and Lillis said they love their new location and the move has really benefitted the club.

“Our membership has increased by at least 50 per cent since we moved down to our new location.”

kbruch@panow.com 

On Twitter: @kaylabruch1