As an experienced chaser, what are your regrets?

[Shawn Gossman]

Hey folks,

So you have been a storm chaser for a while now. You are considered experienced and you have done and seen many things. Do you have any regrets? If you could, would you have done anything different at all as a storm chaser?

If you can relate to this topic, please tell us about it here.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Been chasing 19 years. As far as the chases themselves I don't really have any regrets. It's always been an adventure and new every time out. Each storm and situation is different. There have been many exciting, interesting, and entertaining chases had by me. Over the years I think I do have regrets overall however when I stop to think about it. For many years I've chased solo. I think it would have been much more rewarding, and enjoyable to have normally chased in a group. Solo chases can take their toll on you over time. Mind you, I have chased in groups before...it's just that typically that has been an exception. Another regret is that I've never partaken in chasers social activities for the most part. I've done local Skywarn meetings, but have skipped all chaser parties and conventions so far. That's kind of sad because initially I was excited about going. I joined TESSA back in the early 90's and always intended to go each year for many years, but no one to go with, or other things going on so just blew it off. Because of all that I feel a bit left out of the chaser community even though I know quite a few chasers as well as many notable veterans whom I have met out in the field. Those I know, I've met 'under the meso'. Other than that, I wonder if I could have done a better job running my website for years and years. I haven't really updated it now in a couple years since I've been on Facebook. Oh, and before I let this go I just remembered...on so many chases I have procrastinated and left late or not left. This has cost me quite a few tornadoes. I forecast and can discriminate. Because of this and the fact I may be driving it solo I often wait until late and more of a sure thing before I pull the trigger and commit to a long drive. Also, chasing is expensive. It would have been nice to have financed more of this activity with funds from selling video and photos, but I just never make much of an effort of marketing there. Oh PS: I never went to the trouble of putting a dvd highlight together and trading with other chasers. I always meant to, but every year that went by it seemed harder and harder to do it.

 

[Rob H]

I regret taking 3+ years to finally feel comfortable with what chasing means to me.

At first, I tried really hard to fit in and all I wanted was acceptance from the "community". I would trash talk the big targets like Reed and Sean because everyone else did. Then you actually meet those people and you realize they're exactly like every other chaser you meet. We're (mostly) just normal people that have a passion for weather, and cutting all the BS out should be every new chaser's first goal, before even seeing their first tornado. I was kind of a jerk to a few people, and if any of you are reading this, I truly apologize The next year I flipped hard and didn't want anything to do with other chasers, which also isn't good. I'm at a happy medium now where I feel like I can be myself and chase purely for fun. No ego, no drama, no competition.

I have minor regrets like missing my first five potential (ugh) EF-4s by 30 minutes each. Walking into a disaster area emotionally and mentally unprepared. Losing video or getting blurry video due to not properly testing/learning new technology. The absorption of the hobby into my life in a healthy way easily trumps any of these, however.

 

[Jeff Passner]

My regrets are many, but it doesn't take away from the joys I've had.... It's just reality, we're human beings and we have so many choices to make. There have been times I have not chased becaused I was lazy or I wanted to be with my friends and girl friend or whatever. I've missed so many great storms... I missed Campo, Colorado because I was not feeling well. I missed Jarrell, Texas because my allergies were terrible... I missed Red Rock, Oklahoma (April 26, 1991) because I had to take a class. After 30 years of chasing I've learned that you can't have everything.... I've missed tornadoes by a minute or two and I've had bad views or took the wrong road. The greatest regrets are those days I decided not to go and things happened, but that's life.... WE have to live too...

 

[Shane Adams]

I'm happy with the hand I've been dealt, and I wouldn't change anything. We all say we wish we could, but really, I wouldn't want to alter anything that could upset the possibility of me getting to where I already am right now. I wouldn't trade resumes with anyone.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Don't lose time stopping on the side of a interstate taking picture of a far tornado that is few minutes away from crossing the road. You could lose the time to get closer to that if a policeman pass you and close the damned road, making you lose the perfect scene of one of the best tornadoes ever.

 

[Keith Wilson]

When life has allowed it, I've been chasing off and on since the mid 80's. I guess that my biggest regret is waiting so long to take photography serious. I love the memories that I have, but it's kinda hard to show them to other people. I was always just happy that I was there to see it.

 

[Jane Herbert]

My only regrets are the photos that I missed taking because there was nowhere to get off the road or there were trees obscuring my view. Other than that I haven't had any regrets at all (not counting the time I gave Clyve the wrong turning at a somewhat critical moment in Texas a couple of years back)

 

[Paul Knightley]

I think if you have been able to go chasing, then there should be no regrets - of course, you will have annoyances at things you missed, or didn't do right, but spending time going over these after the event, other than to learn from them, is not a good use of time, and tends to eat you up! Like life in general I guess!

Having said that, not leaving Quinter to head east to miss a tornado not once but TWICE on May 23 2008 still gets me sometimes!

 

[STexan]

I regret Fall chases, limited to ATT data because my Verizon Millinicom data is currently turned off. ATT Edge in West Texas and especially along the Red River SUCKS as I write this near a McDonald's. BTW, the McDonald's in Vernon looks like it got hit by an F3 recently but they are still "open" to the extent they can be.

I regret the ridiculous number of cross-country power transmission lines criss-crossing the landscape ... and they're adding more every year. There has to be another way to transport electricity or have communities create there own power locally. This morning moving from Childress to Vernon, there was hardly a mile along that route you couldn't see at least 2 high-capacity transmission lines somewhere in the distance, and new ones in construction phase.