SHE'S GLAD TO BE A "GLADIATOR"
South Amboy woman lives her dream
Home News Tribune Online 01/14/08
By AVA GACSER
STAFF WRITER
SOUTH AMBOY – If there's one thing a robber should know, it's not to mess with an "American Gladiator."
Yet that's exactly what happened during an extraordinary evening commute, when 30-year-old city resident
Jamie Kovac – who currently appears on NBC's hit show "American Gladiators" – watched in disbelief as a man grabbed her purse and ran off the NJ Transit train. But the last thing on Kovac's mind was retrieving her money, credit cards or driver's license.
"All I could think of was that my video camera was in there, and I couldn't afford to lose that," she recalled.
The camera, you see, contained footage she was going to submit as an audition for the NBC show.
And just like a true gladiator, Kovac said she wasn't going to give up without a fight.
"I ran off the train after him," she explained. "Down the platform, down two flights of stairs . . . Down the street, like a block-and-a-half. By this point, I was really angry, and I was screaming at him that he better be able to outrun me, because I was going to catch him."
While the robber didn't appear to be quaking in his boots, he did drop her bag. Kovac was relieved.
"I got back on the train and I thought, "Oh my God, it's probably the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life,' " she said. Still, her determination to get the camera back reflected her desire to be on the show. "If that's not "American Gladiators,' I don't know what is."
The encounter not only didn't stop the 5-foot-7 1/2-inch, 150-pound brunette from submitting the audition tape in time, but it guaranteed her a spot on the show as one of 12 gladiators.
Although Kovac works at a structural engineering firm (she received her degree from New York's Cornell University), it's really not surprising she would wind up on "American Gladiators." Much of her life has revolved around athletics. She takes part in nationwide fitness competitions, works out regularly and participates in several recreational sports with her husband. Her healthy appreciation of the original series, which aired over a decade ago, certainly helped, too.
"I was a huge fan of the show when I was younger," she said. "In fact, in my high school yearbook I was voted most likely to be on "American Gladiators.' "
Seriously?
"I need to scan it and put it on the Internet because nobody believes me," she added.
Kovac came to the show with the nickname "Fury," which she said describes her personality to a "T."
"For the last 15 years I've always said, "Oh my gosh, I'm so furious,' " she said. "I just let things build up until I'm really angry about them."
Kovac said the show was "one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had the opportunity to do" and that the "Hang Tough" competition – which involves swinging ring-to-ring 20 feet above water – is her strongest event.
Although she is presently nursing an injured knee – an operation last week will hopefully have her back in action soon – Kovac is chomping at the bit and crossing her fingers that the show will be renewed for a second season.
"That would be fantabulous," she said. "I just don't want to go back to my normal, everyday, before-Superman-was-Superman life."
Ava Gacser:
(732) 565-7276;
agacser@thnt.com
