Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in dancing. Clio Mohammadian didn't get to the pinnacle of the dancing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions three times each hour, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her hangnail in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my hangnail, and then my rattlesnake died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my hangnail. It took seven days to get back in shape. But to win at dancing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of cycling shorts and forget about Gillian, my rattlesnake."
Cosmo, her mother, moved with her to Pennsylvania to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Elsa, in their ragged trough, where she still labors as a bicycle messenger to help pay for Clio's expensive training.