Zach Wadley joined the IU Indianapolis staff in the spring of 2020 as the communications specialist for IU Studios and the Division of Student Affairs. Get to know him in this Q&A.
What are some of your New Year's resolutions?
I've tried to read 12 books in a calendar year the past two years and I've come up short. I know for some people 12 is a small number, but that's my goal this year. I'm determined to make the third time the charm!
If you had to watch one movie over and over for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'm a huge fan of Marvel movies, but if I had to watch one over and over I think I would go another route with "Remember the Titans." It has a little bit of everything, and I've always loved it. It's easily my favorite sports movie.
Favorite sports team(s) and why?
Tough to choose, but it's the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Bulls. Growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago in the 90s was awesome. Everything was about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Bulls. I fell in love with them and still am today. As for the Cardinals, my grandpa is a fan, and I began to root for the team in 1998 during the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run chase. My wife is from St. Louis, and we go to games often.
If someone wanted to annoy you, what would they have to do?
This is tough. Sometimes I don't know what annoys me until it's right in front of me. I love a great story and one thing that grinds my gears is a bad storyteller. Sometimes people take too long to tell it, throw in details that are unnecessary or get distracted while telling it. For some reason that really annoys me.
Tell us about a hobby you have and how you got into it.
Traveling and sports are two of my biggest hobbies. One of my goals in life is to visit every MLB ballpark. As kids, my parents took my brother and I on vacations all over the country to see a game at a different ballpark, and it provided tons of great memories. I love going to a new city and immersing myself in it for a week. We've eaten crab cakes at Camden Yards in Baltimore, cheese steaks at Citizens Bank Park in Philly and bratwurst at Miller Park in Milwaukee. I've been to 20 ballparks and am hoping to go on a West Coast trip to five more parks this summer if the pandemic allows.
What is something about you that you don't tell a lot of people?
I'm not sure there is anything. I'm a pretty open book and quite talkative, so if you're around me enough then you will learn plenty!
Share with us the last photo you took on your phone.
Over the holidays, we went to my in-laws house in Fort Myers. We took a few family photos at the beach and got this one of my seven-month-old son, Brooks!
