50 years of service to the Rivi

June 2026 marked an extraordinary milestone at The Riviera Club.

For nearly 50 years, Coach Therese Love has been part of the fabric of The Rivi. She has worked at the club since 1976 and coached here for 46 years. Over that time, she has taught swim lessons, managed pools, launched camps, coached generations of swimmers and watched the club evolve through decades of change.

In many ways, her story is the story of The Rivi itself.

Therese first came to the club as a child with her family. She learned to swim here, joined the swim team at age 10 and quickly fell in love with the water. She remembers sitting on the island watching older swimmers practice before finally working up the courage to ask the coach how she could join the team.

That simple question would shape the next five decades of her life.

Swimming eventually earned her a scholarship to Florida State University before she transferred to Butler University, where she earned a degree in math and physical education. She taught math in Indianapolis Public Schools for 15 years while continuing to coach.

"I learned everything I know about coaching from my coaches here at The Rivi," she says. Gene Lea, in particular, had a great deal of influence on her coaching skills, she said. “He set the coaching standard for me.”

Over the years, Therese has worn many hats. She worked in the locker room as a teenager when attendants still greeted members and managed baskets of clothes. She later became pool manager, helped launch Rivi camps in the late 1990s and has spent decades building aquatics programs that continue to serve members today.

But ask her what matters most, and the answer is simple.

"Learning to swim saves lives. And it impacts overall quality of life."

That belief has guided her work for decades.

While many members know The Rivi for its pool and competitive swim team, Therese sees aquatics as something much larger.

For some children, swimming becomes competition. For others, it becomes fitness, confidence, recreation or simply a lifelong skill that helps them stay safe around the water.

Not every swimmer will become a state champion. That was never the goal.
The goal is to help every child develop strong skills, confidence and respect for the water.

Whether a child goes on to compete, lifeguard, teach lessons or simply enjoy a lifetime of swimming, the foundation starts here.

The swim team itself has long been an important part of the club's identity. The Riviera Swim Team traces its roots back generations and has produced Olympians, national champions, college athletes and countless lifelong swimmers.

Just as importantly, it has created leaders.

Many of the lifeguards, swim instructors, camp counselors and coaches who work at The Rivi today started as young swimmers in the club's learn-to-swim programs. The progression from swim lessons to swim team to leadership roles has become a tradition of its own.

"It's neat to see the little kids recognize their swim coaches," Therese says. "Some of those coaches learned to swim here themselves."

Today, the program continues to evolve.

This summer, Therese launched a new Summer Swim League designed to introduce more children to competitive swimming in a fun and accessible way. The goal is to create new opportunities for young swimmers while continuing the traditions that have made the program special for generations.

The upcoming Riviera Summer Spectacular swim meet will bring hundreds of swimmers from across the region and their families to the club, giving members another opportunity to see the swim team in action and experience a piece of the club's aquatic heritage firsthand.

For Therese, the future of swimming at The Rivi matters because of what it represents.

"I would always like to be connected to The Riviera Club," she says. "That's where our history and our tradition are anchored."

The club has changed over the years. Facilities have evolved. Programs have come and gone. New generations of families have arrived.

Yet through all of those changes, swimming has remained at the heart of the Riviera experience.
Ask Therese why she has stayed for nearly 50 years and her answer is surprisingly simple.
"I have just felt comfortable here," she says.

The Rivi became more than a workplace. It became a second home.

That connection became even more meaningful during one of the most difficult periods of her life – a significant health challenge a few years ago. During that time, she found strength in the people and purpose that had surrounded her for decades.

"When I was going through treatment, people were always checking on me and making sure I was okay," she recalls.

The experience reinforced something she had known for years: The Rivi is more than a pool, a swim team or a workplace. It is a community.

She loves swimming. She loves teaching. Most of all, she loves watching young people discover what they are capable of.

"Working with kids just keeps you young," she says.

Thousands of children have passed through The Rivi during her career. Many have become swimmers, coaches, lifeguards, parents and members themselves.
Each summer, a new group arrives.

Each summer, new memories are made.

And each summer, the mission remains the same:
Help the next child learn to swim.