Stan Rose
EF5
No, that wasn't me, Skip--clearly an amateur! (no tripod, too much flash) 
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Opinions regarding Reed Timmer from within the chaser community?
- Thread starter Andrew Clope
- Start date
Sean Ramsey
EF4
Obviously he found his fellow chasers through the 2014 (or 2013) Chase Partner thread. It could have been any of us.
Warren Faidley
Supporter
Great, now we will have hoards of super models clogging up roads.... 
John Olexa
EF5
Great, now we will have hoards of super models clogging up roads....
Guess that would give a whole new meaning to Chaser convergance
Warren Faidley
Supporter
Dan Robinson
EF5
"One of these things is not like the others"....
Marcus Diaz
EF5
Well my girlfriend chases with me so all these new "models" don't do me any good. But then again I can look all I want, just not touch!
Dan Robinson
EF5
My point is that I consider Timmer to be one of our peers. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm against disparaging lesser-known chasers OR putting more famous chasers on a pedestal or under a microscope. It's silly. Being on TV, in reality, means nothing. Even the raving fan bases don't really care that much when all is said and done. Have you done a live phoner with a national network? Big deal - I have, a lot of us have. Had video in a nationally-broadcast show or on every national news network? So what? I have, almost every chaser has at some point. TV doesn't equal greatness or make one worthy of respect.
Timmer is a great forecaster and chaser, and knows how to execute a chase. That is the reason I respect him, not because he had a show or is famous. But he's not the only one. There are many other chasers who are just as good who don't get the recognition they deserve. They could probably have a TV show and be famous if they had the right publicist, worked at it, and played along with the TV world's games. That's what bugs me about this stuff. Why not start a thread about them? Why not start a sub-section of StormTrack where we have threads on every chaser and state our opinions on each of them?
I'm a little annoyed that Timmer gets put under a microscope and/or on a pedestal by other chasers who at the same time have no idea who Jim Leonard, Gene Moore, David Hoadley, Al Moller, Jack Corso, etc are. Nothing against Reed, but if you're going to put any chasers on a pedestal, give the distinction to guys who got this whole thing started and have been doing it since the 70s or earlier. Making it seem like Timmer is the end-all-be-all of chasing reveals one's naivete that IMO is quite cringe-worthy.
Timmer is a great forecaster and chaser, and knows how to execute a chase. That is the reason I respect him, not because he had a show or is famous. But he's not the only one. There are many other chasers who are just as good who don't get the recognition they deserve. They could probably have a TV show and be famous if they had the right publicist, worked at it, and played along with the TV world's games. That's what bugs me about this stuff. Why not start a thread about them? Why not start a sub-section of StormTrack where we have threads on every chaser and state our opinions on each of them?
I'm a little annoyed that Timmer gets put under a microscope and/or on a pedestal by other chasers who at the same time have no idea who Jim Leonard, Gene Moore, David Hoadley, Al Moller, Jack Corso, etc are. Nothing against Reed, but if you're going to put any chasers on a pedestal, give the distinction to guys who got this whole thing started and have been doing it since the 70s or earlier. Making it seem like Timmer is the end-all-be-all of chasing reveals one's naivete that IMO is quite cringe-worthy.
Sean Mullen
EF2
Hordes of supermodels roaming the plains could also make Rob H's thread from July 1st in the Advanced Weather and Chasing forum the longest running in Stormtrack's history. I could not bring myself to post its title.
Andrew Clope
EF1
Dan,
The reason that I posted this thread (had no clue it would wind up 6 pages in btw) wasn't necessarily to put Reed under a microscope. I honestly don't personally care enough to dive in that deeply. Really, all that I was wanting to gain (as stated in my first post) was to understand were the seemingly negative opinions about him were coming from. After meeting him, and talking with him for a bit, he seemed like an awfully approachable and personable guy. That's it really. Nothing more, nothing less...
The reason that I posted this thread (had no clue it would wind up 6 pages in btw) wasn't necessarily to put Reed under a microscope. I honestly don't personally care enough to dive in that deeply. Really, all that I was wanting to gain (as stated in my first post) was to understand were the seemingly negative opinions about him were coming from. After meeting him, and talking with him for a bit, he seemed like an awfully approachable and personable guy. That's it really. Nothing more, nothing less...
Warren Faidley
Supporter
These are good points and what many chasers and spotters I've spoken to agree upon.
It's unhealthy for any entity, group, etc., to have just one or two "focus" individual(s), especially if the individual(s) are not the best overall representative(s).
So why are the chasers and spotters we deeply respect constantly overlooked?
It comes full circle, right back to the very core issue that's been discussed to the point of nausea.
Until chasers are willing to stand up to those who continue to distort and damage the image of chasing, the media and public will remained hoodwinked and dumb, focused on those who "they think" represent chasing reality, supported by a lack of discontent within the chasing ranks to prove otherwise.
In the coming months, I plan to profile some of the very chasers who I think truly represent chasing, including many of those named here.
W.
Skip Talbot
EF5
If there's one thing that Timmer is "best" at and as good or better at than chasing, it's marketing his image, businesses, and brands. It's all over this thread. "I met Timmer at such and such event, he seems like a great guy." He knows how to talk to and engage with his fans, while his marketing has created a huge following. Many are trying to emulate this now. Some have convinced themselves that this is what chasing is now: selling yourself as a chaser. That's fine if that's your goal. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it.
What about the other guys that have been chasing for decades longer, are more responsible, genuine, and have served the community in a more meaningful manner? Shouldn't they be the most famous ones? They never will be because they don't have that marketing. Nobody knows who they are because their exposure to the public (and even other chasers) is minuscule compared to the huge media machines that Timmer's group and similar ones have created. Some chasers are outraged that there are crops of new chasers that have never heard of [Legendary Pioneer Chaser]. Can you really blame them? Well, I'm sure you can and do, but is it fair? Some of these pioneering legends have almost zero public presence now. You have to go into publications that are out of print, online content that's moved into archives to even find them. We can and definitely should pay our respects and spread the word about these people and what they have done. We can talk them up all we want, while condemning others. It won't have any real impact with the media or public though, not unless you can compete at the same level with the marketing campaigns these other individuals have.
So why do you chase? If it's to become the most famous chaser with the most media exposure, than yeah I'd say Timmer is probably one of if not the best chaser out there. If your goal of chasing is just to chase though, then Timmer is just another one of your peers that is great at intercepting tornadoes and that some people find agreeable and others don't... just like any other chaser.
Rob Wadsworth
EF5
Think that the media - or perhaps America itself - felt that they needed a 'face' to identify storm chasing with. You know; as making it possible to connect public awareness to a single individual. And to some great extent, is it because there are enough chasers that the public know are out there but cannot identify with an individual? Perhaps in a larger sense, all chasers have helped Reed become that face. I think so. In a smaller sense, the vacuum of awareness that the media was only too happy to exploit at the same time. As this sells products along with the concept of chasing as something new.
Have any of you had the experience of a mom/dad approach you with their kids and want to talk to you and let the kids benefit from the encounter? I have; you become that face for just a moment and the impression you leave is something that you might want to consider beforehand - both for the benefit of chasing and yourself. Scary; yet real . . . you may just get cornered in a fast-food place as I did in Kansas IIRC . . .
BTW; didn't Reed do his doctoral piece yet? He must have submitted it some time ago by now. Be interesting to read it if it was made available on the net.
Have any of you had the experience of a mom/dad approach you with their kids and want to talk to you and let the kids benefit from the encounter? I have; you become that face for just a moment and the impression you leave is something that you might want to consider beforehand - both for the benefit of chasing and yourself. Scary; yet real . . . you may just get cornered in a fast-food place as I did in Kansas IIRC . . .
BTW; didn't Reed do his doctoral piece yet? He must have submitted it some time ago by now. Be interesting to read it if it was made available on the net.
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Warren Faidley
Supporter
Someone might want to start a separate thread about the subject of this post....
It's always amazing to witness how technology advancements can make someone or something obsolete overnight.
It's going to be hard to top this new chase "vehicle" next year, publicity-wise.
I want this job!
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-a-10-warthog-will-soon-be-chasing-tornados-attack-1613591600
W.
It's always amazing to witness how technology advancements can make someone or something obsolete overnight.
It's going to be hard to top this new chase "vehicle" next year, publicity-wise.
I want this job!
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-a-10-warthog-will-soon-be-chasing-tornados-attack-1613591600
W.
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Skip Talbot
EF5
That project has been surfacing in the news for years now. Here's a thread from 2011:
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?28432-Must-Have-Equipment-A-10-Thunderbolt
Be cool to see that thing actually up in the air on a storm we're chasing.
