CLUB HISTORY

Moraga Valley Swim & Tennis Club started in the years following WWII, when 55 homes were built along Ivy Drive. Young families, mostly veterans, bought their homes with some help from the GI Bill for roughly $17,000. The neighborhoods were known as "Upper Ivy" and "Lower Ivy" and the land between them consisted of pear orchards owned by the Utah Construction Company (UCC). The UCC intended to build a light industrial complex on the orchards, an idea the homeowners opposed at every county planning meeting. In an attempt to win them over, the UCC sold the homeowners a parcel of land for $10,000 (about $20,000 under market).

Seven neighbors decided to build a nonprofit swim club on the land and they set to work recruiting 300 equity members. Original memberships cost $300, which covered the cost of the land and the additional $80,000 necessary to build the pool and facilities. While part of the original design, the tennis courts were not added until the early 1970's. The area around the pool was designed by a UC Berkeley graduate and inspired by the shape of the school's Greek Theatre. Construction of the pool and its original facilities were completed in less than a year and the club opened in 1958.

MVP had a swim team in its very first year. In those days, dual meets lasted only two hours with one timer per lane. The MVP swim team quickly became a powerhouse. MVP (not yet the Marlins) won their first "All Orinda Meet” in 1969 (now known as the OMPA).

The swim team has been a big part of MVP’s history through the years and the program has produced the following U.S. Olympians, who have won a combined 16 Olympic medals.