[2] Kemp attended Regina High School in Norwood, graduating in June 1974,[3] and did her training and competition as part of the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins where she began swimming in 1964 at the age of 9.

The anchor leg for the relay was swum by Shirley Babashoff who had only a slight lead at the beginning of her 100-meter swim against the last East German swimmer Kornelia Ender.

[1][10] Continuing to compete after the Olympics, in the Midwest Swimming and Diving Championships in Chicago on March 1, 1974, Kemp took a first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:16.7, and a first in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 25.5 seconds.

[14][15][16][17][10][18][12] In February 1975, she ceased swimming with the University of Cincinnati team and swam exclusively with the Pepsi Marlins in hopes of an Olympic birth and to focus on training for the April 1975 AAU Nationals where she had qualified in the 200-yard individual medley.

Jenny retired from high level swimming competition around June 1976, after competing with a U.S. team in a meet in Germany, and did not attend the 1976 Olympic trials.

[21] In 1990 at the age of 35, as Jenny Kemp Carey, she had two children, swam competitively with United States Master's Swimming and competed at a high level in Triathlon with Team Schwinn of Cincinnati.

She was still swimming three to four times a week at the Finneytown, Ohio's YMCA, and at an Indianapolis U.S. Master's meet in age-group competition, finished fourth highest in the nation in her signature 100 and 200-meter events.