Convincing the Significant Other...

[Andrew Herron]

So I recently mentioned to my fiance that I wanted to head out to the plains next year to bag a tornado or two but she is quite hesitant since I "would be going out of my way to put myself in danger." I understand her concern and despite explaining that I'd be going with someone who's done it before and knows what they're doing, she still is skeptical.

So, I pose to the other chasers out there, how do I go about convincing her I'll be pretty darn safe, at least in respects to other things we do daily, like driving to work.

 

[Danny Neal]

if you go alone im positive she will freak out since you said you have never been out storm chasing before. With that being said if you go out with other chasers and you maybe introduce them to your fiancee and let her see how much experience they have and that they have been safe doing it then i dont see the harm! Maybe even mention the fact that she can tag along??? last but not least get into one of those storm chasing tours i know a number of tour groups go out and chase its costs a bit of money but you both can bond and realize if you know what you are doing its practically safe. The only thing you really have to worry about is other drivers and road conditions but you deal with that every day anyway

i suggest the college of dupage tours over the spring and summer only because i go to that school and have first hand knowledge with the program www.weather.cod.edu

 

[Andrew Herron]

Yeah, tours are out of the question money-wise and I don't think I could get her anywhere near a storm. She has a hard time dealing with the trailers for horror movies on TV.

 

[Danny Neal]

haha i see.....well in that case invite a few would be chase partners over for drinks or dinner or something casual and share stories or videos. That way if you do go out she'll be more comfortable knowing that you are going to be safe, after that first chase once she realizes how happy it makes you, she'll realize its okay. My mom was the same way when i was 10 and went on my first chase, she was in knots, but now its like.....okay guys be careful and pick up dinner on your way home. You just have to make her comfortable with the subject

Yeah, tours are out of the question money-wise and I don't think I could get her anywhere near a storm. She has a hard time dealing with the trailers for horror movies on TV.

 

[Mickey Ptak]

Simply say, "Yo woman I am the man. I wear the pants in my house. I am going chasing and that's that." Lol that’s what I tell my wife. Of course she and I have a relaxed relationship so jokes are a dime a dozen in our house and she knows if she said no I would at least think twice about it.

Really though there’s not much you can say that will change her mind. So buy her a new rock and you can blackmail her with that. Again I am joking. There’s only one way to get the jitters out of her, just do it. She will naturally get over the fear of you going chasing and after a few years of being married she will be begging for chase season to come so she can get you out of the house.

Mick

 

[nickgrillo]

You should try to convince your parents to let you chase by yourself at 15

I had to convince my dad at 13 years old to take me chasing, since I had no way to drive myself, obviously. The notion given by some predicating that chasing is a dangerous hobby is virtually fictitious. I honestly think some like to fabricate this idea soley to make the hobby sound more like sky-diving than chasing clouds. I'd have to go out on a limb and say that one would have to purposely try hard to get hurt by a storm in order to get hurt by one.

The #1 danger while chasing is lightning, which isn't much of a danger to begin with, given that you'll be in your car much of the time anyways. I've been nearly struck twice -- 6/12/2005 and 9/22/2005 -- both times CG's struck within several hard yards of me, and both of the times I was messing around with tripods set up in a field far from my car. Other than that, unless you're an idiot that's gonna drive through a flooded road, there isn't much else to discuss dangerwise that's gonna pose a threat for the majority of the chasing expierence. I've gotten within close range of many strong supercells, and have personally bagged thirty tornadoes in the past three years, and have gotten with <0.50mi of +F2 tornadoes on at least two occasions, but did so safely and left safely.

The 3/12/2006 tornado event off I-72 near Springfield, IL left me nervous -- given that it was a nocturnal event, and I got too close to the tornadic circulation, which was hard to see given the infrequent lightning the storm produced as it approached the city. I ended up getting extremely intense sfc wind gusts brought upon by the RFD, which approached +100mph several times (I was within about 0.25mi of the tornadic circulation at the closest) which was nearly-pulling my car off the ground.

If one plans on becoming a chaser, the thought of tours should be put aside. You simply cannot beat true expierence, which can be attained easily, especially if one starts out chasing with a more expierenced chaser to begin with. All you have to do right now is read -- learn about the science behind severe storm forecasting and behavior. The key to becoming a successful chaser is learning how to forecast yourself, and learning the mechanics behind supercell (and convection in general) formation and behavior.

Prove to your wife how much you've learned, and explain to her that chasing is not as dangerous as it sounds, especially for one that knows what their doing. If you ever have any question related to chasing, feel free to ask, especially since your a fellow Detroiter...

 

[Brian Stertz]

Stay with it fellow chaser...

I've been married going on 15 yrs. and before I made any form of commitment to my wife Debbie, I made it perfectly clear that I am a weather junkie and chaser. This was hashed out long before getting engaged on Mackinac Island. The only time it became a problem was the Sept. 22, 2001 close call incident...but still very much chasing and plan to until I prove to myself that I cannot mentally or physically head to the nearest or meanest wall cloud. My advice is to be firm, up front, and be obvious. Once you get the storm chase bug, it's the point of no return !!

 

[B Ozanne]

You should explain to her the "real" risks in life, like heart disease and an assortment of cancers. That pretty much accounts for most of the deaths. Car accidents are a significant risk, but wearing your seatbelt and avoiding drunk driving makes that dramatically safer.

Everything else in life is pretty much just a rounding error.

 

[Jason Boggs]

So I recently mentioned to my fiance that I wanted to head out to the plains next year to bag a tornado or two but she is quite hesitant since I "would be going out of my way to put myself in danger." I understand her concern and despite explaining that I'd be going with someone who's done it before and knows what they're doing, she still is skeptical.

So, I pose to the other chasers out there, how do I go about convincing her I'll be pretty darn safe, at least in respects to other things we do daily, like driving to work.

I think it's safe to say that your daily commute to work is just as dangerous as going storm chasing. You can pretty much predict what a storm will do but you can't predict what some knuckle heads will do on the roads these days.

You can get in position for a right turning supercell, but a right turning car at the wrong time can be a disaster.

 

[Tim Samaras]

Celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this month.

We have an agreement. I put up with her two absolutely worthless POS cats who leave Snickers bars all over the house, and a dog that I have to let out three times a night, that can also clear a living room with her gas....and she puts up with my storm chasing in return.

......and guess what? I think I'm getting the short stick.

Andrew...I don't meant to be rude...but this is an excellent time to get this worked out while she is your fiance. If chasing will be a part of your life, this is the time for her to see it. Ask her along. She might enjoy it.


Tim

 

[B Ozanne]

Celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this month.

We have an agreement. I put up with her two absolutely worthless POS cats who leave Snickers bars all over the house, and a dog that I have to let out three times a night, that can also clear a living room with her gas....and she puts up with my storm chasing in return.

......and guess what? I think I'm getting the short stick.

Andrew...I don't meant to be rude...but this is an excellent time to get this worked out while she is your fiance. If chasing will be a part of your life, this is the time for her to see it. Ask her along. She might enjoy it.


Tim

Man, that was good. Lucky for you the Bar And Grill is for members only.

 

[Bill Hark]

Long before I even proposed, I made it clear that I will continue to chase storms. Essentially, the storms and I are a package deal. My wife accepted chasing while we were dating and continues to after a year of marriage. She even enjoys watching tornado videos but not nearly as long as I watch them. She also enjoys watching lightning. I have offered to take her chasing but she doesn't want to do the long drive, sit in a cornfield with no bathroom for hours and potentially see nothing. If I could guarantee a tornado with a short drive and get her back in time for a trip to the spa and dinner, she would like chasing Ginny did go with me "waterspout chasing" last summer which was mainly sitting at waterfront bars in the Keys (we didn't see anything.)

Our philosophy is that it is healthy for each partner in a marriage to also have some of their own interests separate from the other. Mine is chasing and photography while she is a singer (opera). We have learned to appreciate each others interests.

Maybe you can show her some of the more beautiful chase video (pre screen first to leave out baseball hail, trashed buildings etc.) to give her a sense of the wonder and excitement of chasing.

Bill Hark

 

[Laura Duchesne]

Compare the number of storm chase related deaths to the number of everyday traffic related deaths, and I am sure she will start to give in.... if anyone ever marries me, I definately won't be holding out on chasing! In fact, he'd have to fight to try to keep me home.

But really... just tell her how chasing really is. Most non chasers tend to think of Twister when chasing is mentioned, but it ain't like that in real life. Tell her you always keep your eyes peeled and stay away a safe distance in case you need to turn around, and if you're going with someone else, one of you will be doing the driving while the other watches the sky. If you're tired, pull into a motel to get some sleep.... She's just worried because she's never gone chasing and doesn't know what to expect, but if you explain how you keep safe, and call her every night that your gone, I am sure her worries will ease. Good luck.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I figured if our relationship could pass the dating school while I was majoring in meteorology and actively chasing, we'd survive as a marriage. I made it clear early on that during storm season, I would not be scheduling "dates" in advance. She understood, and there are no issues here!

 

[PeteMcConnell]

Tim and some of the others have a good point. My wife and I have been married for fifteen years. She has things she likes to do, and I chase storms. Make sure you chase your first few times with people who know what they are doing, and study forecasting during the off season like Nick suggested. If the opportunity presents itself, introduce your significant other to some of your chasing buddies. She'll realize you're not the only one with this addiction and she'll start to relax. Oh yeah, buy her some good snacks and spend some quality time with her before you leave for each chase.