Page 2: Toasting Smirnoff
My daughter has reached the age where the shortcomings of her father have become more readily apparent, and a magnet for scrutiny.
What I wear, how I drive, my weakness for the occasional trip to the Carl’s Jr. drive through window … these all draw a rolling of eyeballs.
She is quite an actress.
But today folks, I believe my stature (in the eyes of my balletic daughter) has been enhanced, for today I interviewed Karina Smirnoff, Season 13 champion on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars.
Ms. Smirnoff, 35, will be in Mammoth Lakes next weekend for a three-day workshop at Snowcreek Athletic Club.
The registration deadline for the workshop is Monday the 21st. There are weekend, day and single class options. The full weekend option, which includes a Friday night Q & A, four classes, a complimentary massage and two meals at the Bistro, costs just $249 for members.
Smirnoff, who started competing in ballroom dance competitions at the age of 11, is a five-time U.S. National Champion as well as a World Trophy Champion. She currently ranks #2 in the world in Latin Dance.
But as one starts poring over her biography, you realize that the many dance accolades are just the tip of the iceberg.
Frankly, the bio left me exhausted. How does one person (Smirnoff) accomplish so much? How does one person (Lunch) accomplish so little?
Born in the Ukraine, Smirnoff and her parents emigrated to the United States when she was 14 years old.
Graduating with a double major in economics and information system programming from Fordham University in New York City, Smirnoff even completed a year of law school before her artistic interests sidetracked her budding legal career. “I loved criminal law,” she said. “I love watching Court TV.”
As Smirnoff told The Sheet Thursday morning, she had an interest in working for the FBI or CIA and a law degree was a prerequisite for the career path she had in mind. But life, and her dance career, intervened, and instead of one career now, she has several.
“Everything I do is connected one way or another,” she said.
In discussing the development of her DanceFIT program, Smirnoff said it evolved from dance classes she’s taught over the years. “I would teach the class as a way to get students’ bodies warmed up.”
The class schedule:
January 26: Latin Dance at 10 a.m./ SHAPE UP at 4 p.m.
January 27: DanceFIT at 10 a.m./Latin Dance at 11:30 a.m.
So why Mammoth? As Karina’s publicist Lindsay Rielly said, Karina has a connection to spas and athletic clubs all over the world which bring her in as a value-added experience for their members as well as the larger community.
The access to Mammoth Mountain is also clearly a draw; Karina has taken in a few ski days this week while she’s out in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. Both she and her publicist are fans of Mammoth and have visited in the past.
For those who live in Southern California, Karina owns a dance studio in Woodland Hills.
For more information about the weekend’s events, contact Snowcreek at 760.934.8511.
Expanded Parking
To provide additional parking for Village patrons this Martin Luther King holiday weekend, the Town will temporarily remove parking restrictions on Hillside Drive and Berner Street. Restricted parking will be allowed from Jan. 17-21, 2013. The existing no parking signs will be covered or bagged, with new signs placed allowing 2-hour parking from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
These experimental holiday changes will be reviewed over several holiday periods to determine the effectiveness of the program. Depending on the outcome, a resolution may be presented to Town Council to consider and potentially adopt this temporary parking program. –Press Release
You’ve Been Served
Ran into Joe Mueller of the Austria Hof earlier this week. He related another classic tale of the Town government’s user-friendliness.
When he went to go pay his Transient Occupancy Tax at the end of December, he found that both the Post Office and the Town Offices closed at noon on the 31st.
Knowing that the fine for being late is excessive, Mueller had to get creative to get his payment in – he drove over to Councilman Michael Raimondo’s house and handed him his payment. “You’ve been served,” joked Mueller.
Raimondo then handed the payment into the Town when the offices reopened on Jan. 2. Nevertheless, the Finance Dept. is still trying to fine Mueller for being a day late. Mueller plans to appeal his case to Town Council at its regular meeting Wednesday.
For his part, Raimondo cites this as yet another example of why it would behoove the Town to invest in the technology to take payments online “Like everybody else.” And if automation helps the Town eliminate a few jobs, so be it, he added.
(Photo: GreatNewMovies.com)
