Hall of Fame: Kathy Mollica-Schaefer (Costa Mesa)

Richard Dunn

Every once in a while, even outside of the United States, reruns of

the former fitness competition show “American Gladiators” appear on

television.

And, at times, somebody reminds Kathy Mollica-Schaefer of her

so-called 15-minutes of fame, which actually lasted for five different

prime-time telecasts 10 years ago.

A volleyball and gymnastics darling at Costa Mesa High (Class of ‘81)

and later a star on Orange Coast College’s state championship women’s

volleyball team, Mollica earned a spot as a competitor on the popular

show, which aired from 1989 to 1996, and captured the 1992 Grand Champion

title.

A few years ago, her exchange sister in England couldn’t sleep one

night and turned on the tube, started thumbing through channels and came

across one of Mollica’s bouts on “American Gladiators.”

“I was speaking French on an ‘American Gladiator’ rerun,” Mollica said

with a laugh, realizing her lips on the set probably weren’t always

matching the language’s required mouth movements.

Mollica, who does not speak French, was not a gladiator. Those roles

are left for guys named Nitro, Zap, Gemini, Ice, Lace and Laser. The

contestants, like Mollica, were actually competing against each other

(man vs. man and woman vs. woman), while trying to outscore opponents in

a variety of events.

The show turned into a surprise hit with gladiators involved in

wrestler-like smack talk between matches for showmanship and fitness

buffs coming off the street to win prize money while competing in obscure

contests. Its success led to several international versions and a

kid-gladiator spin-off in 1994, “Gladiator 2000.”

Mollica competed in two preliminary rounds, a quarterfinal and a

semifinal, then won the whole kit and caboodle. That was after tryouts at

Universal Studios, where, out of 10,000 participants, 48 people (24 men

and 24 women) were selected to compete on the TV show.

“You had to pass several physical agility tests, like doing pull-ups

and running sprints, and I did well in the tryouts, and when it came time

to film, I just kept doing well,” said Mollica, who won almost $33,000 in

total on the show.

The type of woman who loves a challenge, she was originally coaxed

into trying out by a Brea firefighter colleague on shift one night as the

crew was watching the show.

“I’ll bet you can’t do that,” Mollica recalls the fireman’s words,

which sparked a flame that will forever burn in early 1990s madcap

television lore.

Mollica, who is now a fire engine captain and paramedic, returned to

the set a few years after winning her title to film the “American

Gladiators Champion of Champions” and she placed a respectable second.

The 1981 Costa Mesa Female Athlete of the Year, Mollica is busier now

than ever with two young children. In addition to her 24-hour shifts at

the station, Mollica and her husband, Bill, a Brea fire engineer and

paramedic, stay home full time on a rotating basis with son Dalton, 4

1/2, and daughter Lauren, 3.

The daughter of Big Canyon Country Club’s first head golf

professional, the late Don Mollica, she grew up in gymnastics because of

her late mother, Caryl, who coached the sport. Kathy Mollica won four

straight Sea View League gymnastics titles in high school.

Mollica also participated in dance production for four years at Costa

Mesa and earned a dance scholarship her senior year.

“When it came down to it, I spent more time in dance than any other

sport or production,” she said. “I loved dance. That was fun. We’d put

two productions on a year ... soon before productions, we’d go from after

school to 10 or 11 o’clock at night. It’s amazing how much energy we had.

You go to school at 7 a.m. and get home at 11 p.m. Now I’m in bed by 9

o’clock. The kids wipe me out.”

Mollica, who also played volleyball at the University of Nevada Reno,

ranked the 1982 OCC women’s volleyball state championship under Coach

Jane Hilgendorf as her top career highlight.

Her older brother, Dave, was Costa Mesa’s Male Athlete of the Year in

the 1977.

Mollica missed home after playing one season at Reno and transferred

to Cal State Fullerton, where she completed her bachelor’s degree after

retiring from volleyball.

Mollica, who lives in Yorba Linda with her family, is the latest

honoree in the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame.