Roles began skating at age 8, after being invited to try figure skating by a friend. She became a student of Nancy Rush, who was her only coach throughout her career. Roles competed in ice dance with Jim Short. The pair placed second on the junior level at the 1958 U. S. National Championships, and passed two of their gold dances. However, Roles gave up ice dance to focus on her singles career. She missed the 1963 competitive season, while touring with the Ice Capades.. In 1983 her bronze Olympic medal was stolen. The USFSA helped her recover it in 2003 and it is now part of their collection.