GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Nick Rodionoff is a talented man. During his 31 years with Pepperdine, he has coached and overseen the aquatics programs. He became the head diving coach 17 years ago and was named head swimming coach six years ago. He has once been named the league coach of the year.
Apart from Pepperdine’s swim program, he also was the head swim coach at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys for 33 years before retiring in 1997.
Aside from swimming, Rodionoff maintains a thriving talent for taking photos. He has had his work printed in several publications, including “Malibu: California’s Most Famous Seaside Community,” a recent book by Marian Hall.
He and Hall participated in a book signing Wednesday at the Malibu Pier and Rodionoff joins us as this week’s guest in 10 Minutes With…
The book is all about Malibu. How long have you lived here?
Thirty years.
How did you get to know the author, Marian Hall?
I do the Malibu Art Show once a year and she became a customer of mine from the art show. She had in mind to do a book, which is all of Malibu, basically historical to kind of do away with the Beverly Hills- cliché type Malibu.
How long have you been interested in photography?
About 30 years, ever since I came to Pepperdine. Living here and being around the university and so on, it just kind of felt natural.
Has the university supported stuff like this?
No, this is just kind of like a hobby.
How long did it take to compile all of the photos for the book?
Well, some of them go back 20 years but most of them were done in a year’s time.
You’ve been in other publications, correct?
Yeah, I’ve been in L.A. Magazine, Surfer Magazine, a couple of books. There was another Malibu book about 15 years ago.
What’s your favorite type of photography?
It really depends on the day or the situation. In other words, we get the Santa Ana winds blowing and the water clears up, which will happen in a couple of weeks, the waves are just magnificent and I love those wave shots. But then later in the year, the sunsets get really good. And then summer’s basically action stuff. So it’s seasonal.
What are you and Marian trying to convey in this book?
We’re trying to convey the message of how beautiful this place is and how much there is to really enjoy in Malibu. It’s not about Ferraris and Rolls Royces. It’s really about the beauty of the place.
You seem to really love Malibu, what does this book mean to you personally?
It’s kind of a very gratifying thing. Number one, that she would ask me to do it, and number two, that I would get the opportunity to share all the images because I’ve got thousands of images. It’s been a wonderful experience.
09-15-2005
