They rowed together. Now they ride together.
Some friendships are built to go the distance.
More than 40 years ago, four young women found each other through the sport of rowing. Three went on to row in the Olympics, and one came home with a gold medal. But the bonds they formed back then have proven to be as enduring as their accomplishments in and out of the shell.
Today, all four are retired but still finding reasons to challenge themselves and keep their friendship going. Their next adventure will be the WomanTours’ Netherlands: Sail & Cycle Tulip Bike Tour in April 2027.
“Biking is way easier than rowing,” says Kathy K. of Arlington, MA, who is thrilled to have her gal pals along to help celebrate her 70th birthday. Kathy won a gold medal in the eight (where eight rowers each hold one oar) at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (You can watch a video of the race here.) Hers was the only women’s crew to win a gold in rowing until 2008. Afterwards, Kathy pursued a career in coaching, shepherding clubs, college teams, the U.S. National Team (1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995) and the 1996 Olympic team, which brought home a silver in the lightweight double.
Kathy recently competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta in October 2026, finishing 12th in the women’s seniors/veterans/grand veteran singles. “It is the most terrifying thing I have done since my Olympic medal,” she said before the event. And after? “It was a great day and I was glad to have checked that off my to-do list!”
Joining her on the Netherlands bike tour are:
Abby P. of Waverly, PA: Abby competed in both the 1984 Olympics (coxed four--four rowers each with one oar) and the 1988 Seoul Games (eight) and has more than a dozen gold medals from national competitions. After studying exercise and sports science, she taught breast cancer survivors how to row. She also organized teams of survivors to take part in the Head of the Charles Regatta. Realizing that working with cancer survivors was her life’s mission, Abby created PAISBC, a free exercise programs for cancer patients and survivors, which ran for 13 years until Covid-19. Since retirement, she has participated in the Pan-Mass Challenge three times, raising more than $75,000 for research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Jennie M. of Dover, NH: Jennie rowed quadruple scull (four rowers, each rower working two oars) in the 1988 Seoul Games, capping an athletic career that includes earning silver medals in the 1982 World Championship (eight), the 1986 Goodwill Games (quad scull) and the 1987 Pan American Games (double scull). Jennie coached women’s rowing, then pivoted her career to become a reading specialist. Jennie still rows a few times a week. She’s also an avid skier, swimmer, weight lifter, cyclist and hiker. She and her family spend part of the year in Taos, NM.
Anne G. of Glenside, PA: Anne who happens to be Kathy’s sister, rowed competitively at the University of Pennsylvania, along with Jennie --- in fact, the two were roommates. Their eight won the Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges Eastern Sprint Championship in 1980, one of the most prestigious women’s college race at that time. Anne continued rowing for the next eight years, competing in multiple U.S. National Championships, Olympic trials, and the World University Games. She took up cycling in 1990 because it was a more practical way to stay in shape once family and professional duties mounted. Anne worked as a physical therapist for many years before earning a doctorate and becoming a professor of neurologic physical therapy at Temple University and St. Joseph’s University.
Keeping the crew together through cycling
This is not the first time that this crew has held a birthday reunion with WomanTours. When Kathy turned 50, she roped in Anne, Jennie and Abby plus several other friends and family members (including Kathy’s mom) for the Vermont: Champlain Valley Fall Foliage Bike Tour in September 2006. “It was a blast,” says Kathy.
Since then, the women have kept in touch through other outdoor adventures, including bike trips in Maine and New Hampshire.
“When I realized that Anne and I were already 65 and Kathy was about to turn 70, I knew that I wanted to spend some of my retirement time and money rekindling my sisterhood ties and I started talking to Kathy about taking another trip,” says Jennie. “Holland and tulips were on my bucket list, and I knew that WomanTours would put together a great experience. So we started making that happen to celebrate Kathy’s 70th, our retirements, our life-long bonds through rowing and keeping movement and fitness in our lives, and to celebrate the good lives we’ve all been privileged to have.”
For Jennie, the upcoming trip was also part of her journey of healing. After a serious bike crash more than a decade ago, she found that road riding triggered post-traumatic stress disorder, and so she avoided it. “This has been my year to get back on the bike, and this trip will be my reward.”
Abby says she has not seen Jennie and Anne in a very long time, so of course she is excited to reconnect. “And I can’t wait to go on this trip. The last one was outstanding!”
From Anne’s perspective, “I think this trip with my sister and friends does signify a time to reconnect and reminisce of our past athletic experiences, but really to affirm and celebrate that we continue to be strong and active women. Celebrating Kathy’s 50th and 70th has been a great vehicle for doing this.”
For Kathy, the trip is a chance to really live in the moment. “You get to forget about anything else. It’s all about what are we going to eat today, where do we go, what are we wearing. It’s such a good break from your normal life.”
And it’s about continuing a legacy that began when she was a young woman. “We are buddies for life, once you row in a boat together.”
