About BBD
About Birmingham Blue Dolphins
The Birmingham Blue Dolphins (BBD) is a competitive club swim team and one of the longest-standing, most successful programs in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
Founded with a tradition of excellence, BBD has evolved over the years and is now a proud USA Swimming team, competing under Michigan Swimming, the local governing body of USA Swimming. While our history is rooted in both YMCA Swimming and USS competition, our focus today is on developing swimmers within the USA Swimming framework while continuing our legacy of success.
BBD’s accomplishments are unmatched in the state of Michigan:
- 44 straight YMCA Eight & Under State Championships
- 9 USS 12 & Under State Championships
- 18 consecutive YMCA 9 & Up State Championships
- 8 straight YMCA Great Lakes Zone (five-state) Championships and 21 total in the 21st century
- 18 Individual YMCA National Champions
- 5 YMCA National Relay Champions
- 6 swimmers who have qualified for Olympic Trials — 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2023
BBD takes pride in its history of excellence, its community, and its dedication to the sport of swimming.
What Sets BBD Apart
1. Age-Based Training Groups
BBD practices are grouped by age, keeping swimmers with their peers and friends. Training alongside swimmers of similar age fosters relationships, boosts confidence, and keeps practices fun and engaging. Coaches design differentiated workouts tailored to each swimmer’s ability while maintaining age-appropriate training plans — helping swimmers enjoy and succeed in the sport long-term.
2. Consistent & Experienced Coaching
Each training group has a dedicated lead coach responsible for practice planning, relay lineups, and on-deck support. This consistency allows swimmers to build strong, lasting relationships with their coaches and develop trust, which is critical in a sport that values discipline and steady progress.
3. Commitment to Every Swimmer
BBD focuses on the success of all swimmers, from first-year athletes to national-level competitors. Coaches meet with swimmers at the start of each season to set personal goals and outline paths for success. Every swimmer is encouraged to take an active role in their development, ensuring that every swimmer matters.
Our Coaches
Chris Wolford
Head Coach
Chris Wolford joins the Birmingham Blue Dolphins with more than 30 years of experience guiding athletes and programs to elite levels of performance, both in and out of the water. Before arriving at BBD, Chris led teams to over 20 State Championships and 2 Junior National Titles. His athletes have represented Team USA internationally, set seven National Age-Group Records, and earned numerous Junior National Championships and Olympic Trials qualifications. He is also a two-time Ohio Swimming Coach of the Year
Off the deck, Chris’ teams have experienced tremendous growth, transforming teams into organizations. His leadership and operational expertise have helped multiple teams double in size during his tenure. Prior to his coaching career, Chris worked as an accountant. He has also served in several key governance roles within the LSCs he has been part of, including treasurer, sports performance director, senior representative, and coaches’ representative.
Chris comes to Birmingham with the support of his wife, Jen, and their two children, Nate and Ellie.
Greg Palmer brings over 3 decades of swim lesson and coaching experience to the Birmingham Blue Dolphins. His son, Jack Palmer, is a BBD swimmer. He is a veteran educator who is currently a biology teacher at Cranbrook-Kingswood Upper School. Greg has been coaching at BBD since 2016, serving as a lead coach. Greg currently leads the Senior/National group at BBD. He previously held head coaching positions at Cranbrook, OLY, Detroit Golf Club, Woodsdie, Waterford Schools, Notre Dame Prep, Kendellwood Club, and Great Lakes Athletic Club. Greg loves helping swimmers develop further and improve their swimming fitness and technique within the framework of fun and high-performance sport.
This is Michael’s 9th season coaching with BBD and his third year as the lead 9-10 age group coach. Michael coached with BBD throughout college while attending Lawrence Tech University in Southfield where he graduated with his degree in Civil Engineering. When not coaching Michael is a licensed Professional Engineer working in Troy for G2 consulting group. He swam locally for 13 years at Woodside Athletic Club and at Groves High School, where he was a captain and an all-state swimmer. Michael is excited for yet another fun and successful season with the Blue Dolphins!
This is Alex’s third year coaching with BBD! He swam on BBD for 11 years and was on the national team for 4 years. He swam for Orchard Lake Country Club in the summer and was on the swim team at Brother Rice High School where he was an 11 time All-American. He swam at the University of Texas for 1 year. He just graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Communication.
Mike is beginning his 27th season as a coach for BBD and primarily works with our Senior swimmers. Mike swam at Birmingham Groves High School from 1990-94, and at the Beverly Hills Athletic Club from 1987-94. In 2002, Mike was recognized by Swimming World Magazine for having multiple top four finishers at the YMCA National Swim Meet. Mike led the 2008 BBD National Team to a fifth place finish, it’s highest in team history. He has coached seven different individual YMCA National Champions and 45 different Michigan High School State Champions. When not on the pool deck, Mike works at the C.R. Hill Co. in Berkley. Mike is married to former BBD Coach Anne Wind and resides in Troy with their son Dylan.
Pat is a BBD alum and has been coaching with BBD for over 20 years. He is now the Video Technique coach too! He is a graduate of Michigan State and the owner of Deighan Painters, Inc. He is married to Katy and they make their home in Birmingham. In addition to his years with us, Pat has coached locally at Village Athletic Club. While he lived in Atlanta, he worked with Dynamo Swim Club and Country Club of the South. Pat and Katy have twin Daughters, Alexis and Haley who are now collegiate runners at Hope College and University of Michigan, respectively, and son Luke who is an Evans Scholar at Michigan State. “Technique is Everything” is Pat’s mantra for this season.
Elliott Fernandes was a BBD swimmer for 11 years and this will be his 11th year coaching. He is a Bloomfield Hills native and went to UDJ for high school. He attended the University of Detroit Mercy for both his Mechanical Engineering undergrad and his MBA in finance. When not coaching he works for General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights as an engineer.
This is Coach Z’s 1st year coaching BBD. Z has been a part of the swimming community for over 3 decades and served as the head coach for Andover/Bloomfield Hills High School for 22 years. He is a 2024 Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee and has been recognized at the state and national levels for his contributions to high school swimming. Coach Z works with the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association(MISCA) and is the swim rep for Beachwood Recreation Association. His wife is a former swim coach and both their kids are current BBD swimmers.
Brenden will lead the 13-14 age group for the 2024-2025 season. Brenden’s swimming journey began at 8 when he got stuck upside down in an inner tube at a water park wave pool and his mom decided it was time for swim lessons. He has never looked back.
Locally, Brenden swam for BBD, Berkshire, CSC, and Groves, where he captained the team and was state runner-up in the 100yd Breaststroke in 2016.
At Kalamazoo College, he studied Latin, Ancient Greek, and Classical Civilization. Despite a two-year injury break, he returned to swim his senior year, achieving two NCAA B-cut standards with a 55 in the 100yd breast, 20 in the 50 free, making the All-MIAA team. He was voted Comeback Athlete of the Year for Kalamazoo College.
Brenden has 8 years of assistant coaching experience at Groves, MCA, Plum Hollow, and BAC. As head coach, he improved Groves Girls’ State rank from 23rd to 15th, and led Seaholm Boys to 3rd and 2nd at States in his first two years, producing an All-American and earning OAA Coach of the Year.
Brenden’s coaching philosophy revolves around building the strongest team possible by creating an exciting, dynamic training environment, forging interpersonal connections with his athletes, and cultivating an environment of respect and competitiveness. Brenden enjoys steak, cooking, and video games.
Kevin retired from the YMCA and stepped down as head coach of BBD after the 2024 season. He stayed involved with the team as a volunteer, working primarily with the eight-and-unders. During his 40+ year career, he led the team developing thousands of swimmers and mentoring hundreds of assistants. The team grew from a small YMCA team of sixty swimmers into a regional powerhouse in YMCA and US competitions with well over three hundred swimmers. He did this while also working as a teacher/administrator in Detroit, at Cranbrook (where he secured the use of the natatorium), and at the Academy of the Sacred Heart and as head coach of the Orchard Lake Country Club swimming team. Kevin returned this season to help the team as it transitions to a strictly US team and conducts a nationwide search for a much-deserved full-time head coach.
To come…
To come…
To come…
My name is Mary Kate Gray and I grew up in Southfield, MI. I started swimming for Cranbrook Swim Club, then Atlantis, Detroit County Day and finally Eastern Michigan University. I started coaching in college with Club Wolverine and UofM swim clinics. After graduation I coached for Detroit Yacht Club and Salem High School. This is my second year as head coach of the Country Day girls team as well as here at BBD. My favorite everts are the 50 free and 400 free relay. My favorite part of being a coach is when feedback with the swimmer clicks and I get to see them improve.
Matt is making his second appearance as a BBD coach for the first time since 1991. He was the head coach for Wayne State and also coached at Orchard Lake CC, Walnut Creek CC and Groves HS where he coached his 3 daughters, Hannah, Ellie and Lauren. Matt was a National swimmer at BBD, and also swam at Forest Hills, Brother Rice and Wayne State. He is married to his lovely wife Janine and they reside in Beverly Hills.