Lexeigh Dowd, 13, has won her last five state championship jiu-jitsu competitions
By Eric Valentine
For most central Idaho families, a drive from Twin Falls to the Wood River Valley and back again is a once-a-month trek, at best, a chance to do a Winco run or a ski run perhaps, depending on which direction you go.
For the Dowd family, that’s a twice-a-week trek that explains how a 13-year-old girl has earned five consecutive state championships, the first happening when she was only 8 years old, and some of them happening against the boys. Lexeigh Dowd, of Twin Falls, is making a name for herself in youth jiu-jitsu and she’s bringing along her actual brother as well as the boys and girls who all train at Lee Anderson’s USA Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Bellevue.
“Five years in a row is unprecedented. It’s just phenomenal,” said Lee Anderson when asked about Dowd’s victory at the Utah Jiu-Jitsu State Championships. “Think about it—that’s almost half her life.”
Previously, Anderson’s team—despite several successes with second- or third-place finishes—had only won one championship (that would be Dowd’s) per year. Just last week, the dedication and excellence Dowd has been showing went next-level—contagious, spreading to her entire team starting with her brother Treagan Dowd and her teammate Lucca Villa, both of whom won championships in their grouping levels. Two others—Yarety Serrato and Tyler O’Crowley—finished in second place.
“She’s incredibly dedicated. She just absorbs everything we teach her,” Anderson said. “She’s very smart.”
“I started jiu-jitsu because I saw my brother do it and I thought it’d be good to have self-defense,” Dowd said. “I didn’t win my first (state) tournament but I won my first match and I thought, ‘Hey I’m actually pretty OK at this.’”
And then she entered the world championships where she knew about a wrestler from Brazil that she’d likely have to match up against. If you don’t know much about the sport, it was originally called by its practitioners Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That’s largely because the family of fighters who put it on the martial arts map—the Gracies—were from there. Anderson’s coach—Fabio Santos—is one of a select few jiu-jitsu specialists who was allowed to live in and train with the Gracie family. So the respect for any opponent from that country is through the roof.
Dowd ultimately did matchup against the Brazilian. The result? Dowd won. And it was around then that Dowd knew she’d found something she wasn’t just good at, but rather something she loved.
“My goal is to continue competing and one day make the U.S. Olympic team,” Dowd said. “I hope by then jiu-jitsu will be an Olympic sport.”
As it stands currently, it is not. To be an Olympic sport, it must not be a so-called “derivative” sport. Jiu-jitsu could be considered for the Olympics if it one day meets these specific requirements:
- Having an international federation that can be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
- Following the IOC drug-testing policies.
- Having an agreed-upon set of rules that appeals to the masses.
For Anderson and Dowd, the current situation is still a good one at the gym.
“We want to stress that we focus on team and family here. Anyone is welcome to attend, the competitions are just a bonus to what we do,” Anderson said.
“You make a really good family here surrounded by people who love you,” said Dowd. “When you have community like that, your life and yourself is a whole lot better.”
Utah State Championships Winners:
Treagan Dowd | State champion | 15yr Orange belt
Lucca Villa | State champion | 10yr White belt
Yaretzy Serrato | 2nd place | 8yr White belt
Tyler O’Crowley | 2nd place | 11yr White belt
Honorable mentions:
- Logan O’Crowley
- Justin O’Crowley
- David O’Crowley