Malibu Marlins win city swim contract

Rancorous year in local swim community ends with shutout of old vendor

After a year of tumult and rancor between two swim clubs in Malibu, the city has awarded the newly formed Malibu Marlins swim club a sole contract to provide swimming programs to the community. Erik Ran will remain in place as the aquatics vendor’s head coach.

It was the abrupt firing of Ran last year that split the swimming community. Ran had been the head coach for the Malibu Aquatics Foundation (MAF), once the city’s sole swim vendor that ran the Malibu Seawolves swimming programs. When parents learned of that decision last summer, many complained to MAF about his dismissal, saying that they had no input in the MAF board’s decision. After angry accusations and charges between MAF and the parents of swimmers who supported Ran, disgruntled parents started a new swim club, the Malibu Marlins, and promised members transparency in running the organization as well as a democratic process in the hiring and firing of coaches. However, the Marlins could not secure swim time at the community pool and were forced to rent the pool from the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District at the inconvenient time of 6:30 a.m.

After months of pleading with city officials, the Marlins were able to share pool usage with the Seawolves program this summer by securing a separate contract with the city.

Recently, the city heard from three vendors, including the Marlins, MAF, and another group seeking to become the sole aquatics program vendor for Malibu.

Robert Brinkmann, president of the Marlins, said after a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and bidding the Marlins won a three-year contract starting Sept. 3.

The city’s website announced signups will go live in August for the fall season programs.

In addition to Masters swimming from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m., there will be classes based on age groups ranging from youngsters to teenagers in different categories and then for adults who don’t want to swim in the early morning hours.

All swim programs begin after school is out at Malibu High School, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. On Fridays, programs start at 4:30, and on weekends swimming is in the morning.

If there is criticism about achieving competitiveness in the Marlins’ program, Ran wanted to put that to rest, saying, “I’ma very competitive guy. I was a former professional swimmer. All my friends and family members are currently still involved in competitive swimming. It’s all I do and think about. Our top priority is being competitive; any swim team, that’s what you’d like.”

Ran does not advocate for weekly swim meets, however, saying, “They are very tiring and long. You only swim once or twice. You do need swim meets to qualify for big meets and there are one or two big meets a year, but swimming a meet every weekend I think is not good. One, maybe two meets a month is much more relevant. Training is where it’s at. Swim meets don’t make you faster. Workouts do.”

Ran mentioned 16-year-old Marshal Lazar of Malibu, who qualified for the Summer Age Group Championships in Riverside. He’ll swim the 100 breaststroke this week.

“I set up a two-year plan with him because he wants to go to college, to a Division I swim program,” the coach said.”We’re going to see some talents coming up, swimming fast times and breaking records.

“We’re going to be able to supply Coach Hayden [Goldberg] and [Mike] Mulligan from Malibu High School with the best and most competitive swimmers that we can. We’re seeing some amazing talent. Success is going to come Malibu’s way. We’re going to get swimmers to Division I swim programs in college.”

The Malibu Times reached out to the longtime and once sole swimming vendor, MAF. President Joe Sichta asked for time in providing a response. Reached again, Sichta declined to comment.

Brinkmann invited any swimmer, competitive or not to swim with the Marlins club.

“The swimmers that are swimming competitively for the most part were trained by Erik,” he said. “We have competitive swimmers in the Marlins. Anybody who wants to compete can compete. The difference between us and the MAF is that we are also open to people who just like to swim and want to learn how to swim better and don’t necessarily want to gocompete.

“Not only are we open to all swimmers, but the whole idea behind our club is that it’s democratic and transparent. If anybody doesn’t like what we’re doing and wants to make a difference, they’re welcome to join our club. They’rewelcome to join our board, and they’re welcome to help us run it. The whole point behind everything we’ve done is to give the community a voice.”

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