(Macedonia) Gary Wax, of Macedonia, has been inducted into the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Softball Hall of Fame as an umpire.
Wax is now a member of the Hall of Fame both as a coach, from his days at Carson-Macedonia and Riverside (Class of 2007), and as an umpire (Class of 2020). He was asked what the honor means to him. “It’s quite an honor. The recognition of the coaches around the state for the work that we’ve done with our crew. It’s quite an honor, I’m humbled by that recognition.”
He jokes about what it takes to be successful as an umpire. “Not to see very good and not to see very well. You need to have a good working knowledge of the rules and the ability to get along with people and explain things to people, especially in stressful situations and keep your cool. It’s kind of a stressful job at times, but it’s very rewarding also.”
Wax got into umpiring immediately after retiring from coaching in 2002. He believes his coaching background has been a big help. “I think a lot of it goes back to the fact that I was a coach for 18 years and I have an idea of what they are going through and what they are looking at and what they want to see in a particular situation granted their vision is blurred by their bias. I think it helps that I’ve walked in their shoes and I know what they are dealing with.” He adds, “I never missed a call in the 3rd base box.”
It was a smooth transition as he already had an established relationship with many of the umpires. Phil Kudron helped get Wax started. “Phil was an absolute great mentor and friend to help me get started in this and teach me the correct way of doing things and not just going through the motions. Things have changed a lot over the years, but he got me started the right way and I’ll always be forever grateful to him.”
Even after 18 years behind the plate he admits he still gets nervous before games. “I’m always nervous. I’m more nervous as an umpire than I ever was as a coach when you go to a big game. I guess it’s the adrenaline pumping and wanting to do a good job. I guess it’s all on me there and in coaching it was all on the girls. I’m way more nervous than I ever was as a coach.”
Listen to the full interview below as Wax discusses some of the more unique plays he’s come across as an umpire and shares his take on the average fan’s knowledge of the rule book:
