Each time Mariah Bell lived in one place long enough to make new friends and explore her neighborhood, her father's job in the oil and gas industry would send the family packing.
She was born in Tulsa, Okla., but as a child she also lived in the Houston area and in several places in Colorado and had more addresses than she probably can remember. "We were moving about every three or four years," said Bell, whose parents split their time between Dallas and Switzerland. "I went to, like, four different elementary schools because we were moving around."
Figure skating was a comforting constant in her life. The jumps and spins and spirals were the same everywhere she went, and she would immerse herself in performing them with her exquisite musicality and ethereal lightness. Skating became a common language no matter the local accent.
