Barbara Roles

Personal information
Full name	Barbara Ann Roles
Other names	Barbara Ann Roles-Pursley Barbara Roles Williams
Born	(1941-04-06)April 6, 1941 (age 84) San Mateo, California, U.S.
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Skating club	Arctic Blades
Retired	1960, 1962
Medal record Ladies'figure skating Representingthe United States Olympic Games 1960 Squaw Valley Ladies' singles World Championships 1960 Vancouver Ladies' singles

Barbara Ann Roles (married names: Pursley, Williams, born April 6, 1941)^[1] is an American formerfigure skater who currently works as a coach. She is the1960 Olympic bronze medalist and the1962 U.S. national champion.

Barbara Ann Roles is the daughter ofCarl A. Roles.^[2] She married after retiring in 1960.^[3] Her daughter, Shelley Pursley Boatright, was born on June 24, 1961.^[4] In 1962, she gave birth to a son, Ronald Dean Pursley Chorak. She chose his middle name to honor her mentor,Deane McMinn, who died in the 1961 plane crash. She is the stepmother^{[citation needed]} of U.S. skaterScott Williams.

Roles won the U.S. junior title in 1958. The next year, she won the senior bronze medal and was assigned to her firstWorld Championships, where she placed fifth. After taking silver at the 1960 U.S. Championships, Roles was sent to the1960 Winter Olympics and1960 World Championships. She won the bronze medal at both competitions. She retired following that season and started a family.

Roles was asked to come out of retirement following the crash ofSabena Flight 548, which killed the entire 1961 U.S. figure skating team.^[3][5] She complied and won the gold medal at the 1962U.S. Championships, making her the first skater^{[citation needed]} to win U.S. national titles on the novice, junior and senior levels. Roles was the only skater to accomplish this untilKimmie Meisner performed the same feat in 2007. She missed the following season to give birth to her second child.

Roles returned to competition in an attempt to qualify for the 1964 Winter Olympics, but placed fifth at the national championships and failed to make the team.^[6] She took up coaching in 1964.^[4] Her pupils have includedLisa-Marie Allen,Wendy Burge,Nicole Bobek,Brian Pockar,Vikki DeVries, Geoffry Varner, andScott Williams.

• 1941 births
• American female single skaters
• American figure skating coaches
• Figure skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics
• Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in figure skating
• Living people
• Olympic medalists in figure skating
• World Figure Skating Championships medalists
• Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics
• Sportspeople from San Mateo, California
• American female sports coaches
• 20th-century American sportswomen

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2007