When it comes to the sport of swimming, there is no name more synonymous with the sport at the local level than Dominque Bouchard.
As is the case with most inductees, Dominque got her start at the local "grassroots" level as a member of the North Bay 'Y' Titans Swim Club.
The club has named an event after her called the Dominique Bouchard Invitational.
Previous Titans board members even unsuccessfully urged the City of North Bay officials to re-name the home pool after the North Bay 'Y' Titans superstar.
Upon moving to the next level of her competitive career, Dominique attained 2 golds, a silver and bronze in her national age class which led to her being named to the National Youth Team that took part in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival where she took silver in the 200m backstroke.
She followed that up with a bronze in the British Gas Grand Prix in England as well as a 4 th placed finish in the World Swimming Championships Swimming Trials in Montreal. Later that year she was a bronze winner in the 200m backstroke at the national senior Canada Cup.
Her level of excellence continued as a first-year student at the University of Missouri where she was ranked 10th in the NCAA Division 1 competition.
The 2011/2012 season saw Dominique’s resumé continue to grow as she competed in the World University Games in China, 8th place in the 100m backstroke, 5th in the 200m and 6th in the 4X100 relay. She won a silver at the NCAA championships in the 200m backstroke, won a double gold at the Canada Summer Nationals and missed being named to Canada’s National Team by 3 one hundredths of a second. She set a school record and Big 12 Conference record in the 200m backstroke.
In 2014, Dominique competed in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships where she finished 5th in the 100m backstroke and 6th in the 200m.
The next year, Canada hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games and Dominique won a silver in the 200m backstroke and in the 400-medley relay and backstroke.
At Nationals she won 100m and 200m gold. Competing at the World Aquatic Championships in Russia she placed 6th in the 200m backstroke.
Then 2016 proved to be a marquee year.
Dominique competed in various Pro Swim Series events in the United States, finishing in the top 5 in both the 100m and 200m backstroke in all events.
Placing 2nd in the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Canadian Olympic Trials earned her a place on the Canadian Olympic Team and while representing Canada in Rio she placed 9 th in the 200m backstroke and 12 th in the 100m backstroke.
Dominique retired in 2017 and was inducted into the University of Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
As a five-time recipient of the Burrows Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award, Dominique’s automatic status as an inductee sets an exceedingly high bar based on what she has accomplished in her chosen sport.
Away from the pool, Bouchard has completed a Medical Degree at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and is a resident in Family Medicine at Health Science North in Sudbury.
She will be inducted into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 11th , 2024, at the Davedi Club in North Bay. Tickets are available by calling Larry Tougas at 705-303-8104, Trista Grant at 705-472-0009, the Davedi Club at 705-474- 4190, or by contacting any Board Member.
