Golden Oars Gala To Bridge the Past and Future: Celebrating Paris Athletes and 1984 Olympians

September 17, 2024 — USRowing is pleased to announce the Golden Oars Gala, taking place on September 26 at New York City’s iconic Central Park Boathouse. While the dinner portion of the event is officially sold out, there are still tickets available to the “Coxswain Toss” After-Party, beginning at 8:30 p.m and will feature an open bar, dessert, and dancing. Click here for more information. 

This year’s gala promises to be an extraordinary celebration, which honors not only current Paris Olympians and Paralympians, but also the 40th anniversary of the remarkable achievements of the 1984 United States Olympic Team. The 1984 Olympics was one of the most successful for Team USA with eight total medals won, including gold in the women’s eight and men’s double sculls. Each medal winning Olympic and Paralympic crew from Paris 2024 will also be represented at the event.

“The 1984 athletes are not merely champions of their era; they are the trailblazers upon whom today’s Olympians and Paralympians build their dreams,” said Amanda Kraus, USRowing CEO, “As we look forward to the return to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this special evening will pay tribute to their extraordinary accomplishments and create a meaningful connection between their legacy and the aspirations of future Olympians.” 

In a nod to the past and a look forward to the future, two distinguished members of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Team, Ginny Gilder and Fred Borchelt, will grace the event as featured speakers. Their presence will bridge the gap between the history we honor and the future we embrace as we set our sights on Los Angeles 2028.

Ginny Gilder is an Olympic silver medalist and co-owner of the Seattle Storm, a WNBA basketball team. A Yale University alumna, she was a member of the rowing team there as well. In 1976, Gilder and her 18 teammates boldly protested the lack of locker room facilities for the women’s rowing team by writing “Title IX” on their bodies and entering the athletic director’s office. Although she made the 1980 Olympic rowing team, she was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. Gilder eventually competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she earned a silver medal in the quadruple sculls. Her contributions, along with those of her father, Richard Gilder, Yale alumnus, philanthropist, and stockbroker, were instrumental in the construction of Yale University’s Gilder Boathouse, which features equal facilities for both men’s and women’s teams.

Fred Borchelt is an Olympic silver medalist and a distinguished physicist. Competing in the four with coxswain at the 1976 Olympics, he and his team finished 11th overall. After making the 1980 Olympic team but unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Games, Borchelt achieved his Olympic breakthrough by winning a silver medal in the men’s eight at the 1984 Games. He was recognized as the Outstanding Male Rower by the U.S. Olympic Committee in both 1981 and 1982. In addition to his athletic achievements, Borchelt served as a coach at Harvard University, where his novice crew clinched the Eastern Sprints Championship in 1990. He coached and taught physics at St. John’s High School with many of his crew medaling at the NEIRA Championships. 

Finally, USRowing would like to thank our gracious partners, One Equity, iFit, TJC, 776BC, Broadridge, Prosek, Filippi, and MyRow who are supporting the celebration.

For media inquiries, please contact:Media@USRowing.org