NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mariah Bell remembers walking into the practice rink a couple of years ago and jokingly telling Adam Rippon, her training buddy at the time, that she was so nervous about nationals that she shouldn't even go.
"He was like, 'So don't go,' " Bell recalled with a laugh. "The whole point was like, this is a sport. It's truly for fun."
Well, the 25-year-old Bell is having the time of her life at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
She landed the triple flip-triple toe loop that had been causing her problems Thursday night, then ramped up the energy inside frigid Bridgestone Arena. By the time Bell spun to a finish, she had Rippon -- now one of her coaches -- leaping in the air and the masked fans circling the ice standing in ovation at the U.S. Figure Skating Champions.
Bell's score of 75.55 points put her one point ahead of Karen Chen, the 2017 champion and 2018 Olympian, and more than four ahead of two-time national champion Alysa Liu, who is also aiming for her first spot on an Olympic team.
"Adam went to the Olympics and he's like, 'No, it's incredible,' " Bell said, "but at the end of the day it's another competition. That's all it is. It's just a matter of keeping things in perspective and staying mature and professional."
Earlier in the day, Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc upstaged a brilliant performance by Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson to take the lead after the pairs short program. Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov are in third place.
"Every day is a new day," Johnson said. "Go out there, enjoy, have fun and whatever happens, happens."
Enjoy it just like Bell is these days.
She was the silver medalist in 2020 and twice has earned bronze at nationals, but her flawless technical routine and strong performance in Nashville put her in tonight's free skate with a strong shot at the top step of the podium.
She knew it, too, smiling ear to ear after landing her triple lutz and pumping her fist after her final spin.
"Honestly, I'm just so happy to be here. I'm so fortunate I get to skate in front of people and so much of my family is here," Bell said. "I had chills. I just feel extremely grateful right now."
Chen was next on the ice and put together a performance nearly as good. She landed a triple lutz-triple toe loop right at the start, breezed through a double axel and landed a perfect triple loop to score 74.55 for her short program.
Hard to believe it was the same skater who, dragged down by injuries, nearly retired two years ago.
"Just to be able to skate in front of an audience again is super, super fun, and I'm just proud of how I delivered this program," said Chen, who ditched the short program she used during the Grand Prix season for a revamped version of her 2015 program. "It was definitely a risk to change, but I also knew it was risky to keep a program I wasn't enjoying."
Cain-Gribble and LeDuc, skating last among the eight teams at Bridgestone Arena, were near-flawless in their pairs program set to music from the 2018 biographical drama film "The White Crow." It was highlighted by a soaring triple loop and net 79.39 points, a score that would have been third best in the world during the Grand Prix season.
More importantly, it put the 2019 national champions in first place heading into Saturday's free skate.
"Without giving away too much of what works for us away, we've prepared in every way possible to be prepared for anything that could happen," Cain-Gribble said. "We set ourselves up in practice to not be surprised by anything."
Even the performance of their lives.
"We said at the end, 'Check that off,'" Cain-Gribble said, "and move forward."
Mariah Bell competes in the women's short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Karen Chen skates in the ladies short program event during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Karen Chen skates in the ladies short program event during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson compete in the pairs short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson compete in the pairs short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson compete in the pairs short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov compete in the pairs short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov compete in the pairs short program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)