How Hard Do you beat yourself up for busting a big chase?

[Jeff Miller]

what is the longest you have been mad at yourself for busting on a chase that you otherwise could have nailed, but due to one reason or another it didnt work out?

Thinking individually here. Another thread inspired me to think of this, do you take the "ah, I missed it im moving on" approach or the "im going to stew over this for a week" approach? and does this affect other chases after the fact?

should be interesting conversation!

 

[Mike Mezeul II]

haha funny topic, but so true lol
I usually take the "meh, more to come" approach. But every chaser I believe has the "depressed for a while" bust. Mine was the May 15, 2003 Stratford, Tx tornadoes. I was chasing solo for the first time and was being navigated by fellow chaser Ken Fugate back at home. I had arrived in Amarillo at about 2 pm and was followed there by the CBS 11 News team. I hung out with them a bit at a local restaurant and waited for convection to start. Prolly around 5 pm'ish convection initiated to our north (what eventually would produce the Stratford tornadoes). I was on the phone with Ken and he was telling me to shoot up 287 North and to not look back. The CBS guys on the other hand were saying go south-east and wait for more storms to form. I decided to listen to the news guys, yes there gigantic satellite and loads of tv's are quite convincing, and head south-eastward a bit. I knew in my head that there was a good chance for storms to form southward and intercept the strong moisture inflow from our 25-35 mph southerly winds and go hay wire, but on the other hand, I knew Ken had 30 years experience under his belt lol I eventually headed south and waited for initiation, and waited...and waited...and waited some more. Than started to cry (not really) when I heard the reports coming in of a wedge and stovepipe on the ground at the same time. DOH! I eventually did get some storms forming my way, a great barber pole storm in a matter of fact, but nothing tornadic. All in all, not a great loss considering the storm I did see, but frustrating in a big way considering what I could have seen! I mean I only spent a few months in depression :wink: Nothing can replace experience lol, not even big satellite dishes. :wink:
^ sorry realized I kinda got onto the topic of my worst bust lol oops

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I blew 9 October 2001... left too early to get to my target (NW OK). Missed seeing the dryline surge down south, and ignored the first cells that went up. By the time we realized the north was hosed, we got to the last tornadic storm near Binger. Supposedly, a mile wide tornado was on the ground briefly, but with the sun setting behind our back, we missed out.

We did, however, get some of the only shots of the backsides of these storms

I was pretty bummed for a week, but hey it happens. There will always be more storms.

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Aaron[/img]

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

I don't know that I get over any of them. I think other cases just take their place as each season comes along. I don't just get over it. I might like to, but that isn't the truth. I slowly forget some until I see video of them at a later date and then it is like it was yesterday and I'm mad again.

I was really mad about messing up June 13, 2001 and missing the Seward tornado when my plan was to drop down there. I never thought I'd let that go. By now though, hell there are so many in front of it.

I can let go of the ones I thought I did my best on. For example I can let go of May 22 04 and May 29 04 very easily. They haven't bugged me that badly. June 10 and the first part of June 11 though.....I'm still not over. Back to back days of not getting back out on the road early enough cost me nice tornadoes(literally 20 minutes both days). Any days I settle for a closer target and bust because of it I can't get over. June 24, 2003 se SD I'll never let go. Bust your tail for three days in a row, while working 8hr days, getting like 4hrs a sleep a night, to "settle" on the last day(24th) and have that happen..hahahahaha. It is best to not "settle" or relax for 2 straight months(May and June). If you are really damn tired it doesn't matter, go and chase. Well, that is for ones like me that actually get upset missing tornadoes. If you can get over it easily then it probably doesn't matter.

The only way for me to not be hard on myself on those I should, would be to lie to myself and say I'm not upset...lol. I'd rather be hard on myself than say it doesn't bother me when it does.

 

[Damon Scott Hynes]

Put it this way, I used to have three kids...

 

[Justin Turcotte]

It don't bother me if I miss a tornado but catch nice structure. The ones I kick myself the most are those in the area I initially targeted but chose in the end not to go there. I have also been talked out of a couple wonderful targets that produced soundly. Usually the next great storm erases those memories quickly. Instead of stewing too much over a missed oppotunity, I attempt to see what I could have done differently, either from a forecast or chase perspective. One of the most common errors is to overshoot the dryline or have the dryline mix out your position. I've been burned by this a few times so I will position accordingly this year. Learn from the mistakes because nobody is perfect. There were a lot of steamboats that sunk before Fulton made one that floated. Its all about trial and error.

 

[Shane Adams]

Much better than I was when I first started. Up until about 2003, I'd beat myself up over a bust literally for years. I'd get this lump in my throat and my stomach that would last for days after the event, like I'd lost a friend. Seeing other chasers' video of the event would drive the knife in even further. Chasing isn't a passing fad or my vacation, it's my life. My failures richocet a lot harder off the soul than most.

After missing the majority of 2003 (missing chases due to lack of funds, not busting) I learned to deal with it. Sitting at home just seething on May 8, 10, 15, 16, and June 24 while my peers were out having career years just made me numb. But from that experience I understood that life blows ass, and you just have to roll with it. Not everyone is gonna get their piece of the pie, whether it's fair or not, and the best thing you can do is channel all that frustration into positive energy for future chase endeavors. So now I just go with the flow, trying my best to see as may tornadoes as possible, not worrying about the ones I'll miss.

Because no one gets them all.

 

[Susan Strom]

Really good question.

It's important for newbies to realize that everybody, even the seasoned vets, bust sometimes. One time, whole caravans of chasers played SW Kansas on what looked like a sure thing on paper...and we all busted...in stereo. Longingly we watched the sky above Sublette KS...as the cap held and we all got a nice eyeful of fair weather. There wasn't even lightning (the pièce de résistance for me) to be had. However, I met a nice friend that day, and she and I keep in touch to this day.

Weather thumbs its nose at chasers, all chasers, once in awhile. If it was predictable and easy, it would be boring. Its elusiveness and capriciousness is what lures us! I love that it's defiant. I love that it's hard. The difficulty is part of the draw.

Plains or Monsoon - if I bust, I do not beat myself up, even when I play the right forecast and get the total brush off from Mother Nature. Sure it's disappointing, that's true, and I feel it keenly just like anybody. There is a lot of personal investment in my time, money, learning when it comes to chasing, to do my best.

One year however, lessons were learned when several of us literally saw a chaser lose it because he busted. He was so competitive the he morphed into some kind of Wolfman when he didn't get a tornado, having words with his nowcaster friend, damaging their friendship, he wanted to be "right" so badly. I would suggest for someone like that a sport like football. While playing the game, physical aggressions get worked out on the field. I hope newbies don't fall into the same trap. A tornado lasts 10 minutes. Friends, relatives, family, professional relationships last a lifetime.

If chasing was easy, something we could do from our livingroom with zero training, none of us would be here. The odds are in the house's favor and Mother Nature holds the cards. That also means that when it does pan out, it has a sweet taste, and if we do it relentlessly, there will be plenty of winning days.

 

[Joel Wright]

I'm not much of a chaser, but I still regret watching the enormous F4 tornado producing supercell that hit Roanoke IL pass by to my east last summer.

 

[Karen Politte]

Well I'm still beating myself up over a certain date that occurred last year in 2004. It's possible to take a philosophical look at it and try to instill some Karma into the situation......but at the end of the day there's nothing much that comforts you when you miss big and it's your fault.

Along the same topic - I think that perhaps a lot of us will have to be getting used to "busting" a lot more - because I think that busting might be taking on a different meaning in chasing's nouveau-generation. It's no coincidence that the number of tornado reports has sky-rocketed, due I believe at least in part to the huge numbers of weather-followers out looking at storms these days. That's going to mean more tornado reports, more people on any one storm, and more people to tell you what you missed. The early chasers had it good - there WAS nobody up in northeastern South Dakota to relate tales to you of the beastola that you missed, or show you the video - ergo you weren't missing anything, really.

The best storm is always the one that got away. We're just going to have to endure more stories about them, now. Now might be a good time to reconfirm why we're just happy chasing, and accept ahead of time that not everybody sees everything.



KR

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Great question - - - I don't get over it ... I probably would, but then everytime I read an account from someone else who nailed it, it just forces me to remember my mistakes. One of my biggest screw-ups in my mind was probably May 10, 2003. We chased across the entire width of Missouri that day, only to turn around literally minutes before the storm tornadoed near Hannibal, simply because we were slightly mis-positioned and mis-read what we were seeing on the storm. I didn't realize the gravity of the mistake until I met up with Hollingshead later and he showed me the video of an incredible tornado. Everytime I see it or show it to someone else it just re-opens the wound (lol). Things like this don't hold me back, though - I know it comes with the territory and just move on.

 

[Glen Romine]

I always kick myself for missed events - many still make my stomach turn when I give them much thought. But probably what bugs me most was one particular event where I had excellent position on a very impressive tornado - and apparently never hit the record button on the video camera - so I just set up a high dollar wind vane - and not a particulary good one at that. THAT mistake sticks with me much harder than events I've missed because of mistakes, because great opportunities even among the "successful" chases are even rarer. Getting depressed again just thinking about it.....

Glen

 

[Carla Bisby]

June 12, 2004. :evil: I still regret it. I had just pulled into Wichita from the north and instead of going after the storms to the south of the city (which looked more imperssive) I went after the closest one - one on the north side of the city. Sigh. At least I wasn't the only one who made that mistake as I ran into other chasers and one tour chase company. Sigh. Now I have a picure of the "white" Mulvane tornado (Eric Nguyen) hanging on my cubicle wall and I kick myself everytime I look at it. Unless there's overwhelming evidence to do so do not leave your original target. I leaned the hard way. Not 1 tornado on the north side and I think 7 on the south side. Sigh.

 

[Joe Zemek]

It totally depends on *how* you bust, I think. Some mistakes are easier to brush off than others, and a forecast that doens't pan out is easier to brush off than a tactical mistake. Just sitting in Iowa on June 11 watching distant but reachable storms with a tornadic history in what looked like poor shear and not doing anything about it... won't do that again. E-ver.

Learning something is the best way to stop beating oneself up

 

[Tony Laubach]

While May 24, 2004 was probably one of the hardest busts, I tend to joke more about it now than beat myself up! To be honest, the hardest to let go of for me was May 10 when I bailed on the DCVZ for better conditions near the CO/WY border. I ended up sitting in a hailstorm while half a dozen tornadoes touched down within 50 miles of my house! And not just landspouts, either... but honest-to-god nice tornadoes! That was a hard one to let go of simply because I could've stayed real close to home and scored as opposed to shooting north 100 miles! That hurt! :lol:

But to answer the question, I really don't beat myself up that much for busting.. sure, it hurts for a while, and I kick myself for whatever the situation may be, but within a week, I'm over it. Busting, for me, is a learning experience, and more times than not, I'm just happy to be out. I try not to kick myself too hard for my stupid mistakes... we all make 'em, right! :lol: