By Chris Dawson
BayToday.ca
Monday, August 02, 2010

VICTORIA, B.C. - North Bay Titans swimmer Dominique Bouchard has made the Canadian National team thanks to her impressive 2nd place finish in the 200 M backstroke at the Summer National Championships in Victoria on the weekend. 

Bouchard, who is a member of the University of Missouri NCAA swim team, will join Team Canada for the Pan Pacific Championship team later this month and potenially swim in the Commonwealth games this fall in Delhi, India. 

Titans head coach Cliff Noth believes the Bouchard finish is great for swimming in North Bay. 

"It's a great result for her," said Noth in an email. 

"If this was an Olympic year, she would have made the team and this is the first step in that road." 

Unexpected finish

Bouchard swam a near personal best in the 200 M final, but she was pretty fortunate just to be in the final. 

The North Bay native failed to make the final finishing in 9th spot, but surprisingly she was given a second chance. 

“I came to the pool for the finals session, there had been a scratch in the final and I was to swim in the final. Then, I swam to almost a personal best time and placed second,” she said about getting the spot from Calgary's Katy Murdoch who scratched. 

“I was ecstatic!” 

In preparation for the Pan Pacific Games, Bouchard will stay in Victoria to train until August 6th. 

“I cannot wait to compete in Irvine, it’s going to be fantastic,” she said. 

After the training in Victoria, Bouchard will travel with the Canadian Pan Pacific Swim Team to the University of California to train there for a week and then head to Irvine, California for the event which takes place August 18th to 22nd.