Our Coaches
Jump to: Our philosphy
Coaches Corner:
Swimming Fast When the Pressure's On
Date: Nov. 27, 2009
Our GREAT Coaches:
Head Coach: Bill Thompson
Head Coach Bill Thompson is entering his 17th year with BBA. While at Birmingham Groves High School, he set pool and school records, and at Eastern Michigan University he set five swim team records and was a member of the 1977 Junior Olympics 2nd place water polo team. He began coaching in college, and later as head coach of the Laramie Wyoming Swim Club, led the team to six state championships. Bill has also coached swimmers who qualified for the Junior Olympics, Sectionals, Jr. Nationals, Sr. Nationals and Olympic Trials. Additionally, Bill is the head coach of the Marian High School Swim Team, the Birmingham Athletic Club and former assistant coach at Cranbrook Swim Club.
Age Group Coach (Speedster-Silver): Kristi Moore
Kristi is returning for her 23rd year with BBA as the Age Group coach for the youngest BBA swimmers. She has been head coach at the Cranbrook Swim Club for the past 7 years where she led the team from 9th place to an NSSL summer season championship in 2001. Kristi's roots are local as well. She graduated from Lathrup High School and Oakland University, where in addition to earning her degree in Education, she was five-time All-American and twice named the Great Lakes Interscholastic Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Age Group Coach (Gold-Senior): Ray Onisko
Ray joined the BBA coaching staff in September of 2002. Ray has over ten years of coaching experience including being the head coach at Notre Dame H.S., and the head coach at Eisenhower H.S. and most recently the head coach of the Utica Shelby Swim Club. Ray attended Michigan State University and Oakland University.
Philosophy:
We exist for, and operate in the framework of the following principles:
- To provide all team members with fun and enjoyable ways to develop self discipline, a sense of team membership and cooperation, as well as swimming skills and physical fitness.
- As team members grow and mature, to provide them with fun and effective ways to develop the habits of goal setting, time management and a commitment to personal excellence.
- To provide training to those swimmers who want to maximize their potential to become successful, competitive swimmers.
- To offer the families of swimmers:
- As much flexibility in our programs and scheduling as possible to maximize compatibility between swimming and other responsibilities and pastimes, i.e. school (grades) and other sports, and,
- The least expensive financial commitments possible without sacrificing the above goals.