Last weekend, a local female athlete reached for gold and grabbed it with flying colors.
Her name is Clare Moheimani, and she was recently a gold medalist in the women’s advanced giant slalom event at the Special Olympics New York (SONY) Winter State Games.
Clare Moheimani. (Photo provided by Clare Moheimani's mom).
“It feels great,” Moheimani said in regards to her being a gold medalist.
“(It was) well deserved,” said Beverly Dodici, Moheimani’s alpine ski coach for the past four years. Dodici is the area 17 alpine ski coach, which covers Cortland and Tompkins Counties.
Moheimani, 15, has been skiing since she was 10 years old. She mainly practices skiing at Greek Peak Mountain Resort, the same place where she participated in competitive skiing over the weekend.
Dodici coaches Moheimani through the Greek Peak Adaptive Snowsports Program, which Dodici has volunteered with for the past 13 years. Dodici is one of about 100 volunteers in the program.
“Clare is a very determined athlete,” Dodici said. She noted Moheimani had the best and lowest combined time within the bracket of female athletes. “She has really advanced her skills and techniques, and she follows the coach’s directions very well.”
Moheimani’s interest in skiing began when she watched cross-country skiing as a spectator and on television.
“I was practicing (skiing) and I just felt like I wanted to (compete),” she said. In preparation for this past weekend’s winter state games, Moheimani switched from “normal skis” to “faster skis,” also known as slalom skis for competition.
Moheimani noted she made a “ton of friends” with athletes from the winter state games. She added most of the athletes traveled from other parts of the state to compete in the winter state games.
A ninth grader at Cortland Christian Academy, Moheimani said her peers and teachers celebrated her gold medal achievement when she returned to school on Monday.
“They clapped their hands twice for me,” she added.
Other than skiing, Moheimani also has a love for dance. She participates in three different types of dance classes – ballet, modern two and jazz.
A dancer since she was four years old, Moheimani helps out with a “Ballet A” class, which consists of 3-to-4 year old dancers.
Clare Moheimani. (Photo Source: Timothy A. Bennett/The Cortland Voice).
Moheimani is dedicated to practicing tendu, a type of movement in dance. Her goal in dancing is to “get on point,” which is to perfect the technique of getting on the tip of her toes.
“I stay committed to it,” Moheimani said. She performs in a couple of shows every year, including “The Nutcracker” more recently.
Moheimani mentioned that she is thankful for her family, including her mother Liesl and father Chris. She also has a sister and two brothers. Clare also gave a shout-out to all of her dance and ski coaches.
“I am so grateful to all the people at the Greek Peak Adaptive Snowsports program for sharing their time, skill and love of skiing and snowboarding with unfailing kindness and good cheer week after week,” Liesl Moheimani said. “I was awed by the courage and skill of all the athletes who competed. I’m so happy that Clare could be part of the (SONY Winter State Games) this year.”
A representative from SONY noted athletes who win the gold medal, including Clare, are an automatic entry into the qualification pool for the Special Olympics Winter USA Games. According to the qualification process, it allocates certain sports at different levels of sports. The selection process within the pool of eligible athletes has yet to be determined.
