Nicole Kramer

Nicole Kramer
Personal information
Full nameNicole Kramer
National teamUnited States
Born (1962-02-08) February 8, 1962
Quincy, Illinois
OccupationsSwim coach, instructor
Nicole's Swim School
Height5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
Weight110 lb (50 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubSheridan Swim Club (Quincey, MA)
Mission Viejo Nadadores
CoachKen LeMaster (Sheridan Swim Club)
Mark Schubert (Nadadores)
Jack Nelson (76 Olympics)

Nicole Kramer (born February 8, 1962) is an American former competition swimmer who swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores, and represented the United States as a 14-year-old at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. At the Montreal Olympics, she broke the standing Olympic record for the 800 meter event with a time of 8:46.81 in a preliminary heat, but in a highly competitive field finished fifth in the event final with a time of 8:47.33. [1][2]

Early life

Kramer was born August 2, 1962 in Quincy, Illinois. Prior to moving to Mission Viejo, she swam for Quincy's Sheridan Swim Club beginning at the age of 8 in 1970. From 1974-1975 she was trained at Sheridan Swim Club under Coach Ken LeMaster. LeMaster swam for Oklahoma State, where he was an Assistant Coach for two years.[2][3][4]

Nadores Coach Mark Schubert

In 1975, Kramer relocated to attend Mission Viejo High School, and swim with the strong program of the Mission Viejo Nadadores in Orange County where in peak training she swam 10-13 miles a day. With the demands of her swim training and the need to travel to meets, Nicole had a tutor, and for convenience roomed with the family of one of the Mission Viejo swimmers. With the Mission Viejo Nadadores, she trained under Hall of Fame Head Coach Mark Schubert, a former swimmer for the University of Kentucky. At Mission Viejo, she trained with elite American Olympians Shirley Babashoff, Maryanne Graham, and Marcia Morey. The Mission Viejo team, as part of the Mission Viejo Company under Vice President Jim Toepfer, had access to outstanding facilities by 1976 including four recreation centers that housed a 50 meter Olympic pool in Marguerite Center, and three 25-yard junior Olympic pools. They also had access to Mission Viejo High School's 25-yard pool.[5][3]

1976 Olympic trials

In a qualifying heat at the Olympic trials, Kramer placed second in the 800 freestyle event with a time of 8:42.9, breaking the standing women's record, as did Shirley Babashoff, who placed first with an 8:39.6.[4] At the 1976 trials in Long Beach, California, she placed sixth in the finals of the 400-meter swim with a time of 4:19.23.[6] In preparation for the 1976 Olympics, Kramer trained with the U.S. team at West Point Military Academy in Virginia under Head U.S. Women's swim team under Head Olympic Coach Jack Nelson.[7]

1976 Montreal Olympics

At the 1976 Montreal Olympics Kramer finished fifth in the event final of the women's 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:47.33.[8] She is the youngest swimmer (14 years, 167 days) to compete for the United States in a Summer Olympics since 1976.[8][9] In her first preliminary round, in a very fast field, Kramer broke the standing Olympic record in the women's 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:46.81, though she finished second to East German Petra Thumer who swam an 8:46.58, also qualifying for the finals and breaking the standard Olympic record . With the highly competitive East German team, which has since been found to have been using steroids, and the more experienced American swimmers competing in the finals, her final time in the event granted her only a fifth place finish.[10]

After her swimming career, she returned to Quincy, Illinois and taught and coached swimming at Nicole's Swim School.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "olympics.com, NIcole Kramer". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Olympedia Biography, Nicole Kramer". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Ruppert, Jim, "LeMaster Has Prize Pupil in Quincey's Nicole Kramer", The State Journal-Register, July 3, 1976, pg. 11". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  4. 1 2 ""Olympians, Several Illinoisans on U.S. Team", The Journal Star, Peoria, Illinois, July 2, 1976, pg. 15". Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ ""Mission Viejo, Home of the Olympians", The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, June 30, 1976, pg. 37". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ ""Olympic Swimming Trials Results", The State Journal-Register, June 19, 1976, pg. 14". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Commings, Jeff, "Swimming World Magazine, "Jack Nelson the Coach Behind 1976 Epic Relay Win"". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Nicole Kramer. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  9. ↑ Bondy, Filip (March 25, 1996). "Cute, Cuddly Olympians". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Markus, Robert, "Scot Wilkie slows U.S. Gold Rush; Naber Wins," Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1976, pg. 69". Retrieved August 21, 2026.
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