Barbara Roles

Barbara Ann Roles (married names: Pursley, Williams), born April 6, 1941 in San Mateo, California) is an American former figure skater who currently works as a coach. She is the 1960 Olympic bronze medalist and the 1962 United States Champion.

She retired following the 1960 Olympic season and had a child (Shelley Pursley Boatright). She was asked to come out of retirement after the Sabena Flight 548 crashed and killed the entire 1961 US Figure Skating Team.^[1] Roles complied and won the gold medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1962 making her the first skater to win a gold medal in novice, junior and senior nationals. She was the only skater to accomplish this until Kimmie Meisner performed the same feat in 2007.

Later in 1962 she had a son (Ronald Dean Pursley Chorak) whose middle name she named after her mentor, Deane McMinn, who died in the 1961 plane crash. After missing the 1963 season, she again came out of retirement in an attempt to qualify for the 1964 Winter Olympics, but only placed 5th at the national championships and failed to make the team.^[2]

She later took up coaching; her pupils have included Lisa-Marie Allen, Wendy Burge , Nicole Bobek, Brian Pockar, Vikki DeVries, and Geoffry Varner. She is also the step mother and former coach of U.S. skater Scott Williams.

She is the daughter of Carl A. Roles.^[3]

Results

References

• Sports-reference profile