cdcollura
EF5
Explosive emotional outbreaks possible. "Get out! It's Over!", "When you are storm chasing the last thing you think of is me!", "What's more important, storms or me?", "Goodbye! Now you can hang your supercell pictures where our wedding pictures were!", "I won't be there when you come back!", "Go, and if you kill yourself, it's your problem!" ... How many of these chilling and gut-wrenching phrases sound familiar? Well, many storm chasers have run across someone, whether a significant other or not, who has labeled them as "crazy", "stupid", or "inconsiderate".
These things really hurt, trust me, I have had my share of them. First I will try to explain what I know based on my experiences. The one thing to consider is the differences between a man and a woman when it comes to storm chasing. Storm chasing is like HUNTING. It is boring, but when you catch something, the excitement justifies the boredom. It also has an inherent risk to it.
Like hunting, storm chasing is taken up more by the male community than females. Some women are into storm chasing, just like some are into hunting, but it is a minority. You can read a great topic on "Women and Storm Chasing" at the STORMTRACK web site. The typical regime is that the husband, or boyfriend, will go out storm chasing while the woman usually does not come along. This can cause some "nothing in common" issues as well as the woman being worried sick over his safety. Sometimes, the woman may not be able to cope with this stress and rather be alone.
Another example of this was a person who was a volcanologist and traveled around the world studying volcanoes, another activity with an inherent risk. He wound up in the hospital after falling off a ledge with moderate injuries. After his recovery, his wife locked away his passport when another eruption was occurring in the Philippines. Eventually, his wife let him go, after all, he worked with the Geological Survey and this was part of his job. When he returned, uninjured and in high spirits, divorce lawyers and grudges greeted him. His wife admitted that she loved him, but could not deal with the possibility of him not coming home when he went on the expeditions.
Personally, a chase partner of mine had his fiancee take his chasing money, for a trip to the US Midwest, and spend it on herself. Her intention was to keep him from going, but it failed because other members of our chase group loaned him the cash needed for the trip. There is one thing I need to say, and that is COMMUNICATION. I can stress than anymore.
When you meet someone, tell them what you do. Tell them why you chase storms. Most of all, bring up encouraging statistics about your hobby - such as that storm chasers rarely get hurt when many people are killed by the storm they are chasing. This is because storm chasing requires knowledge and training to study natures violence in a SAFE as possible manner. This is a very important topic to discuss with your friends and loved ones.
Another hint, if you meet someone and they tell you "That's crazy, I would never do that!", or "I think that will be a problem if we get serious.", then DONT get "serious" with that person! Preferably, someone with a similar interest with nature or extreme sports, for example, a skydiver or whitewater kayaker, would be much more empathetic and understanding of your hobby.
Another important thing is that if a problem does arise, talk about it. The most important thing is to talk it out and fix the mis-understanding. The WORST thing is to keep your mouth shut and not say anything when you should ... One chase partner of mine had his girlfriend leave him in such a rage that he videotaped her to show her how hysterical she was! She blew up so dramatically simply because she "held it in" so many times, like a CAP in a high CAPE environment, she eventually "exploded".
If the talking and up-front informative does not work, there is counseling. Storm chasing is not a "crazy" thing. It is something you and your loved ones should be proud of. Never be ashamed to see a marital counselor or the like, after all, you are only getting help, and it is wrong if you don't get help! In my case, it is important to be open and positive about your hobbies.
Always talk about the good points. Being a skydiver as well, I always talk about how high I jump from and how beautiful the sky is up there. I never bring up issues about accidents I witnessed or risks involved. Remember, these things scare people and cause people to worry. Tell everyone, especially when you just meet them, what you enjoy to do, let it be your family, boss, fiends, and loved ones. If they don't understand, it is their "opinion" and that deserves a degree of respect too.
These things really hurt, trust me, I have had my share of them. First I will try to explain what I know based on my experiences. The one thing to consider is the differences between a man and a woman when it comes to storm chasing. Storm chasing is like HUNTING. It is boring, but when you catch something, the excitement justifies the boredom. It also has an inherent risk to it.
Like hunting, storm chasing is taken up more by the male community than females. Some women are into storm chasing, just like some are into hunting, but it is a minority. You can read a great topic on "Women and Storm Chasing" at the STORMTRACK web site. The typical regime is that the husband, or boyfriend, will go out storm chasing while the woman usually does not come along. This can cause some "nothing in common" issues as well as the woman being worried sick over his safety. Sometimes, the woman may not be able to cope with this stress and rather be alone.
Another example of this was a person who was a volcanologist and traveled around the world studying volcanoes, another activity with an inherent risk. He wound up in the hospital after falling off a ledge with moderate injuries. After his recovery, his wife locked away his passport when another eruption was occurring in the Philippines. Eventually, his wife let him go, after all, he worked with the Geological Survey and this was part of his job. When he returned, uninjured and in high spirits, divorce lawyers and grudges greeted him. His wife admitted that she loved him, but could not deal with the possibility of him not coming home when he went on the expeditions.
Personally, a chase partner of mine had his fiancee take his chasing money, for a trip to the US Midwest, and spend it on herself. Her intention was to keep him from going, but it failed because other members of our chase group loaned him the cash needed for the trip. There is one thing I need to say, and that is COMMUNICATION. I can stress than anymore.
When you meet someone, tell them what you do. Tell them why you chase storms. Most of all, bring up encouraging statistics about your hobby - such as that storm chasers rarely get hurt when many people are killed by the storm they are chasing. This is because storm chasing requires knowledge and training to study natures violence in a SAFE as possible manner. This is a very important topic to discuss with your friends and loved ones.
Another hint, if you meet someone and they tell you "That's crazy, I would never do that!", or "I think that will be a problem if we get serious.", then DONT get "serious" with that person! Preferably, someone with a similar interest with nature or extreme sports, for example, a skydiver or whitewater kayaker, would be much more empathetic and understanding of your hobby.
Another important thing is that if a problem does arise, talk about it. The most important thing is to talk it out and fix the mis-understanding. The WORST thing is to keep your mouth shut and not say anything when you should ... One chase partner of mine had his girlfriend leave him in such a rage that he videotaped her to show her how hysterical she was! She blew up so dramatically simply because she "held it in" so many times, like a CAP in a high CAPE environment, she eventually "exploded".
If the talking and up-front informative does not work, there is counseling. Storm chasing is not a "crazy" thing. It is something you and your loved ones should be proud of. Never be ashamed to see a marital counselor or the like, after all, you are only getting help, and it is wrong if you don't get help! In my case, it is important to be open and positive about your hobbies.
Always talk about the good points. Being a skydiver as well, I always talk about how high I jump from and how beautiful the sky is up there. I never bring up issues about accidents I witnessed or risks involved. Remember, these things scare people and cause people to worry. Tell everyone, especially when you just meet them, what you enjoy to do, let it be your family, boss, fiends, and loved ones. If they don't understand, it is their "opinion" and that deserves a degree of respect too.
