Wayne Bourque

{{short description|Canadian boxer}} {{Infobox boxer | name = Wayne Bourque | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | real_name = | nickname = Flurry from Fort MacMurray | weight = | height =  | reach =  | nationality = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1959}} | birth_place = | death_date =  | death_place = | style = | total = 130 | wins = ca. 109 | KO = | losses = ca. 21 | draws = | no contests = | website = [https://centrering.com/ https://centrering.com/] | medaltemplates = | show-medals = | embed =  }}

'''Wayne Bourque''' (born 1959) is a Canadian boxer known as the "flurry from Fort McMurray".<ref name="hof">{{cite web|url=http://woodbuffalosports.com/wayne-bourque.html|title=Wayne Bourque|website=woodbuffalosports.com|accessdate=31 January 2019}}</ref> He has been the North American Native boxing champion three times in the welterweight and middleweight classes.

==Boxing== He was born in 1959 in Lac La Biche, Alberta to Métis parents and has four siblings.<ref>http://fan590.com/onair/barb-wired/media.jsp?content=20081002_135214_15428 fan590.com Radio interview with Wayne Bourque by sports reporter Barb DiGiulio, ''Fan590'', Toronto, October 7, 2008</ref><ref name="gm1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/my-mid-life-crisis/article4288330/|title=My mid-life crisis|publisher=|accessdate=31 January 2019|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=7 October 2009 |last1=Mick |first1=Hayley }}</ref> He was raised and trained in Fort McMurray. To protect himself from racist attacks, he learned to box.

He won his first tournament, the Northwest Pacific Gold Gloves, at the age of 13 in Seattle.<ref name="hof" /> His boxing career totaled 130 fights with approximately 109 wins and 21 defeats.<ref name="hof" /> Bourque retired from amateur boxing in 1985 after receiving a knee injury while skiing eighteen days before the Olympic trials.<ref name="gm1" />

After retirement, Bourque moved to Toronto in 1987 for a fresh start away from partying and drinking beer.<ref name="gm1" /><ref name="hof" /> Starting off selling cellphones and plumbing, he learned of the 'boxercise' trend and his wife, Carol, encouraged him to seize the moment.

In 1994, he became a fitness trainer and is the owner of the boxercise centre Centre Ring.<ref name="gm1" /><ref name="hof" /> His clients have included many NHL players like Matt Stajan - Calgary Flames, Olympian Marnie McBean and players of St.Michael's Buzzers.He leads a summer camp in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where participants use boxing exercises to get fit without the physical contact of boxing matches.

Wayne even appeared as the corner man in the first fight scene with Russell Crowe, in the movie ''Cinderella Man'' (2005).<ref name="museum">{{cite web|url=http://www.metismuseum.ca/resource.php/149151|title=The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture|website=www.metismuseum.ca|accessdate=31 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1921576/|title=Wayne Bourque|website=IMDb|accessdate=31 January 2019}}</ref> He also trained Crowe for the movie.

In 2009, after several years of declining an invitation, he decided to participate in the Ringside World Championships.<ref name="gm1" />

TVO profiled Bourque in their Never Stop Learning series and in celebration of Canada's sesquicentennial, Indigo published a book called The World Needs More Canada. Bourque was selected and featured in the book, as one of the "cultural makers of our land, who inspire us, challenge us and reflect who we are for all the world to see."

== Achievements == * 1973, Junior National Champion, 80 lb class<ref name="gm1" /> * 1974, Junior National Champion, 85 lb class<ref name="hof" /> * 1975, Junior National Champion, 90 lb class<ref name="hof" /> * 1983, bronze medal at the national championships<ref name="gm1" /> * 1984, contender to represent Canada at the Olympics<ref name="gm1" /> * 2009, Ringside World Champion for Masters (age 40 to 50)<ref name="hof" /> * Lifetime achievement award at the Regional Aboriginal Recognition Awards<ref name="museum" /> * 2012, Wood Buffalo Hall of Fame inductee<ref name="hof" /> * 3x North American Native champion<ref name="gm1" /> * 4x provincial champion<ref name="hof" /> * 4x Golden Glove champion<ref name="hof" />

==Family== Bourque is married to a woman named Carole and has a son named Brandon who is a talented lacrosse player.<ref name="hof" /><ref name="gm1" />

His mother Clara Bourque is featured in ''Mark of the MetisL Traditional Knowledge and Stories of the Metis People in Northeastern Alberta'' (2009).<ref name="museum" />

Bourque's second cousin, Rene Bourque played professional hockey in the NHL. His playing career included time with the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche. Today, Rene Bourque is playing hockey in Sweden.

== References == {{reflist}} * Chris Alexander, "Why Didn't I Do It Sooner?" ''National Post'' (Toronto), June 27, 2000. * Curtis Phillips, "Boxercise Guru Reflects on his Home," ''Fort McMurray Today'', March 16, 2002. * Chris Alexander, "In the Ring with Raging Bull." ''National Post'' (Toronto), October 6, 2006. * [http://www.lululemon.com/toronto/eatoncentre/ambassadors/536 Wayne Bourque] * "About Wayne Bourque | Wayne Bourque's Centre Ring | Toronto". ''www.centrering.com''. Retrieved 2017-03-23. * "René Bourque". ''Ice Hockey Wiki''. Retrieved 2017-03-23. * Centre Ring Ltd (2015-04-01), ''Wayne Bourque - A Comeback Story'', retrieved 2017-03-23

==External links== * {{IMDb name|1921576|Wayne Bourque}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourque, Wayne}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian Métis people Category:Exercise instructors Category:People from Lac La Biche County Category:Martial artists from Alberta Category:Métis sportspeople Category:Canadian male boxers Category:Welterweight boxers Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen