Smash: Marguerite Tennis Pavilion. The Mission Viejo Tennis Center opened in 1972 as part of the Mission Viejo Company's attraction of bringing in new residents by offering tennis lessons, socials, tournaments, and competitive league play. The facilities were part of the Mission Viejo Recreation and Tennis Centers that included the Marguerite Recreation Center (currently the YMCA), Montanoso and Sierra Recreation Centers, Marguerite Tennis Center and the Felipe Tennis Center. The Marguerite Tennis Center was home to many programs, clinics, socials, and professional events such as the Virginia Slims Classic in the late 70s and early 80s and the Battle of Sexes. In 1988 the City of Mission Viejo incorporated and by 1992 the Mission Viejo Company gave ownership of all the Recreation and Tennis Centers to the City of Mission Viejo. The facility still offers many great programs for the community and is the first United States city to host the international Wheelchair Doubles Masters tournament. In fall 2016, the City hosted this event for the fourth year in a row.
Splash: Marguerite Aquatics Complex. Mission Viejo's legacy as a home to Olympic athletes started with the Nadadores swim team which was first organized in December of 1968. The program was so successful that in 1972 the Marguerite Recreation Center was expanded to include a 50-meter Olympic competition pool and training warm up pool, and Mark Schubert joined the Nadadores as head coach. In 1976 the Mission Viejo Nadadores sent 6 swimmers to the Olympic Games in Montreal: Shirley Babashoff, Brian Goodell, Maryanne Graham, Nicole Kramer, Casey Converse and Marcia Morey. Shirley Babashoff and Brian Goodell became the first Olympic medalists from Mission Viejo, winning seven medals between them. In 1977 the Mission Viejo Company added diving platforms and springboards to the Marguerite facility to provide for a diving team, Ron O'Brien and Dr. Sammy Lee became Nadadores diving coaches, and Olympic medalist Greg Louganis joined the team. The 1980 Olympic diving team included Nadadores Greg Louganis, Dave Burgering, Kevin Machemer, Randy Ableman, and Meg Neyer. Because of the U.S. Olympic boycott, they did not compete at the Olympic Games in Moscow, but traveled to international events in China and Japan.
July is National Parks and Recreation Month and as a result, the Mission Viejo Recreation and Community Services Department has hidden geocaches around town to encourage people to explore parks and open spaces. Visit the City’s website to learn about other hidden geocaches and to celebrate Parks Make Life Better! http://cityofmissionviejo.org/geocaching