Rant from a long time chaser: No lessons from El Reno?

[Warren Faidley]

Law enforcement IS beginning to take notice.

Last year I was contacted by the Kansas Highway Patrol regarding a tour group. They received some complaints in reference to reckless driving. I guess they thought I could ID the group. I was not 100% sure which group it was so I passed. (Nor did I know the exact circumstances). I'm not sure what became of the case.

W.

 

[Jason Boggs]

As much bickering as we do sometimes (I'm guilty), it's nice to see us as a community come together and try to make our hobby as safe and enjoyable as possible.

 

[Chad M]

Was it a black Chevy Cavelier with a yellow hood? Said "Storm Stalker" on the back?

Yeah, that's him.

 

[Tony Gilbert]

It is my suggestion that if someone is breaking traffic laws we report them with video to the law enforcement that covers the jurisdiction. And I dont even mean speeding, but I mean flagrant blocking of traffic lanes.

Agreed.
In addition to this I think our dash cams can pick up the odd flouter. Almost 'name and shaming' but with no need to mention any names because all we will be doing is showing a clip of our storm chase. If anyone is coincidently shown standing in the middle of the road with a tripod they will know who they are and so will the rest of us! In fact I would vote that we have a forum specifically for this purpose!

The game needs cleaning up if it is to continue. Is doing nothing really an option if we want to safely keep doing it?
The vast majority of us will have nothing to fear by this because most chasers are in fact considerate!

 

[Warren Faidley]

Yes, I have to agree with Jason. This kind of conversation is necessary. We have a lot of new chasers out there and I'm sure the range of opinions are welcomed. I'm also glad it remained civil. Thanks everyone.

W.

 

[Todd Lemery]

A name and shame forum would be cool. Think about how riled up people would get.

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

It'd help I think. It's something and like said doing nothing is just as problematic as you're letting it happen

That way, you get called out on it, take the heat, and you either learn from your mistakes or you get pissed off and cry about it on your Facebook page

Personally of you guys catch me doing something stupid out there I'd love to be called out on it. The last thing I want to do is be storm stalker. I might not realize I'm screwing up until someone says something. They could be the case for a lot of chasers doing that...the others are probably just douchers

 

[Tim Paitz]

It'd help I think. It's something and like said doing nothing is just as problematic as you're letting it happen

That way, you get called out on it, take the heat, and you either learn from your mistakes or you get pissed off and cry about it on your Facebook page

Personally of you guys catch me doing something stupid out there I'd love to be called out on it. The last thing I want to do is be storm stalker. I might not realize I'm screwing up until someone says something. They could be the case for a lot of chasers doing that...the others are probably just douchers

I agree. Perhaps a little constructive criticism for those who may have made a mistake or two on the chase.

 

[Joshua Nall]

Just read through this thread. I haven't seen many movies and I'm sure there is a better example, but has anyone seen that John Wayne movie where he rides straight at these three bad outlaw types, with guns blazing? Yeah its a movie, but there are people not too far off of that in every walk of life. I'm sure everyone's seen some of Randy Hicks "Outlaw Chaser" videos. He says in one vid I watched, "they ain't got balls as big as mine" or something like that, lol Anyone that thinks maybe John Wayne should have worn a helmet when he got on a horse are just not going to understand. And there are all types, and you all that are critical of these things need to in my opinion just accept that. There is really no other answer. We are all different. As some have already said, we chase for different reasons. We have different goals and passions. If folks were like me are some of the more conservative among us this would be a boring place. While I'm sure no one just throws all caution to the tornado, there are plenty that don't give a penny sized hail stone what the latest safety talk is or what the critics are saying. I should say though I totally agree with abiding by the laws and do myself, and.... it would be great if we were all considerate of others, especially on the road. I just get tired of the "you people don't need to do that because of this and this and this" What... how about everyone does it how ever they want because they want to do it that way?

And I want to comment on this..... there is SO much jealousy surrounding Reed. He drives around the country chasing tornadoes in a special built vehicle shooting probes and releasing bouncy vid balls (what's next?)... with a hot gal who will soon be his wife. Even though I do agree with some of the complaints directed at him and others, it comes across like a bunch of nerds on the sidelines trash talking the guys out playing ball who are dating the homecoming court. 5 or 10 people dialing back the hype and not acting like crazies when yeah they probably really are crazy to some degree... will just make things a little more boring in my opinion. But some will say, " but what about the wannabe that drives into a tornado?" It's called life. It's called living in a mostly free country where people are free to do what they want, mostly. Sorry, everything bad that happens is not someone's fault... people make their own choices. Someone, an experienced chaser even, getting hurt or killed has always been part of it and may happen again. I I just want to enjoy what I do and I know I need to let others enjoy what they do, and then I'll watch their videos

I probably said too much, but that is just being true to how I feel.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Uh Joshua, I believe the forum had, as of late, focused on the obviously poor judgement decisions a few people are making like parking on the roadway, setting up on the roadway, passing cars while approaching a hill that they have no idea if there is oncoming traffic coming etc....these kind of things I think we all can agree should be shamed upon. There's no excuse or defense for them except ignorance, which if pointed out they might change their behavior if realize how it affects others.
As far as Reed, some people love and some people hate him. People's opinion of him is pretty subjective and are all across the map. I can't sit here and say "Reed bad" or "Reed good" because in the end, it's only my opinion, which half the people on this board would disagree.
Now, someone parking their car in a roadway I have no trouble saying it's a bad idea because not only is it illegal, it's stupid too.
It just seems like we are getting two separate issues rolled into one here. As long as it's legal and doesn't negatively affect others, I think most of us are cool with it

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

You make a good point here that should be clarified. We are talking about two separate issues here. One or two chasers doing a few silly or dangerous things does not generally make a difference in the overall chase community. I think we can agree on that. I personally don't care how close someone gets to a tornado, that is their own business and it's not my business to tell them what to do. They may kill themselves and their passengers. It's also up to them to decide if their actions will endanger someone else like other drivers and EMT's or land them in prison for manslaughter -- an ignored but reality-based possibility. I treat all threats on the highway equally; be it a local nut racing towards a twister or a drunk driver. The second issue is the overall public, media and government view of storm chasing as a pursuit. I would say that 99.9 percent of chasers do not have enough publicity / power to actually effect the image unless they did something really tragic. No one cares (you are right) about the average Joe chaser who posts some crazy footage on YouTube. It is from the 1 percent that most people judge us as a group. It does not matter if you are a major sports team, a Fortune 500 company or a small community of storm chasers --- when the top of the heap is rotten, it tarnishes the entire group and trickles down to everyone... eventually.

W.

The general public doesn't know how to differentiate between chasers. All they can differentiate is whether a chaser is a public figure or not -- and even then, only because they won't have heard of any of the ones who aren't public figures. For the most part, public figure chasers have been pretty well behaved. A small handfull of chasers have discovered that portraying a caricature of what the media wants to see in a storm chaser can launch B-level fame and bring in income. As you've probably noticed, the caricature that the media wants has changed over time. Gone are the days when they've looked for the chaser-journalist version of Indiana Jones, the manly man sporting solid brass bollocks and seeking adventure and great photography as he continues the hunt for the Big Storm Story. These are the days of wide-eyed jaw-dropped screaming-at-the-top-of-his-lungs chaser driving the specialty vehicle doing Science(TM) with a potato cannon and Saving Lives(TM) and Having Drama(TM) with the other chasers who happen to be on the reality show and getting way too close and backing up with a face bloodied from exploding window glass because they forgot to roll up the Lexan before driving directly into the tornado. And the truth is, that's super exciting to watch on TV and people gobble it up. And so what? Even when chasers agree to put on the fez cap and dance, nothing much bad happens, other than said chasers looking a little silly, getting a little famous, and pocketing a bit of money. Storm chasers are irrelevant, for the most part, to the general public, and only enter their consciousness when the media specifically focuses on them. Which they only do when they are grinding the organ or when a bunch of chasers die.

 

[Tony Gilbert]

Uh Joshua, I believe the forum had, as of late, focused on the obviously poor judgement decisions a few people are making like parking on the roadway, setting up on the roadway, passing cars while approaching a hill that they have no idea if there is oncoming traffic coming etc....these kind of things I think we all can agree should be shamed upon. There's no excuse or defense for them except ignorance, which if pointed out they might change their behavior if realize how it affects others.
As far as Reed, some people love and some people hate him. People's opinion of him is pretty subjective and are all across the map. I can't sit here and say "Reed bad" or "Reed good" because in the end, it's only my opinion, which half the people on this board would disagree.
Now, someone parking their car in a roadway I have no trouble saying it's a bad idea because not only is it illegal, it's stupid too.
It just seems like we are getting two separate issues rolled into one here. As long as it's legal and doesn't negatively affect others, I think most of us are cool with it

I think Todd has summed up perfectly the way most of us feel. This is not about big brother regulating freedom of choice, its about (whilst fairly rare) the inconsiderate and selfish acts that we might sometimes witness. Most of which, are in fact illegal.
Example; My van with around 11 passengers in 2008 was once almost put down a steep embankment by a chaser passing on the wrong side of the road on the brow of a hill??I slid side on with the wheels down a trench! ....So yes I rightly have a beef with that incident!
Ultimately, I love my freedom when chasing, but only when it doesn't encroach on other road users

 

[Lanny Dean]

Just read through this thread. I haven't seen many movies and I'm sure there is a better example, but has anyone seen that John Wayne movie where he rides straight at these three bad outlaw types, with guns blazing? Yeah its a movie, but there are people not too far off of that in every walk of life. I'm sure everyone's seen some of Randy Hicks "Outlaw Chaser" videos. He says in one vid I watched, "they ain't got balls as big as mine" or something like that, lol Anyone that thinks maybe John Wayne should have worn a helmet when he got on a horse are just not going to understand. .

Many of us who simply are not interested in participating in the drama have purposely not posted in this thread for obvious reasons. However, having chased with Randy from 1999-2007, I certainly don't agree with the above concept. Furthermore, I think this post is nothing short of an ad hominem attack with absolutely no way for Randy to reply or respond directly as are a few of the posts regarding Reed.

I find irony in MANY of the post's when in fact, I have personally seen some of you doing the exact same things you are attacking others for - most particularly from a few of the "veterans". Do as I say and not as I do....this argument is old and qualifies as beating the preverbal dead horse. If we are going to continue to have this discussion can we at least refrain from the ad hominem attacks? They certainly do nothing for the cause.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Everyone jealous of Reed? Uhhh, speak for yourself. Why would I have any jealousy of him? It's not like his life was just served to him on a golden platter. The man has worked pretty hard for several years to get where he is today. The only thing I don't like about him is how he hypes every setup. Otherwise, he's just another successful chaser out there. I'm glad he is in his position right now. He probably dreamed of being right where he's at right now, and he worked his ass off to do it. I applaud him.

As for Randy...maybe Lanny can explain this a bit more but, you have to know Randy to understand Randy. Spend some time away from chasing with him and you'll realize he's a damn good chaser and a good man. He certainly knows how to read his immediate environment and has (so far) come away good. He, too, is living his dream. Although, he probably wishes he had more money to live it.

Everything else that you said, Joshua, is pretty much my thoughts exactly. Although I'm not all for the "go ahead and get yourself killed" idea, because I think a lot of those people that do get too close and are noobs just don't know any better. They don't have enough experience to not be in that position. Or they do it and just get miraculously lucky to come out the other side without scars. I think all of us that get close all have one thing in common...we're pretty damn lucky. We can't always see debris or inflow jets, and coming away without any broken windows or worse just means we lucked out that time. And hopefully, we continue to have that luck with us.

 

[Paul Knightley]

As much bickering as we do sometimes (I'm guilty), it's nice to see us as a community come together and try to make our hobby as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Jason has hit the nail on the head. Rewind this thread to the top, and look at the (up to this point) 6 pages of posts and you'll see that most of us *do* care, to a greater or lesser degree, about our chasing peers.

I, for one, think that we should care about what others do, simply because I don't want to have to hear about other chasers being killed in the field, either by the storm, or during the driving to/from the storm. If our debates on ST can make someone think a bit more and perhaps do something a little differently (let's say, drive more defensively, as an example) then it's been worth it.