Wannabe NASCAR Chasers

[Danny Neal]

Forrest, I think you may be preaching to the choir here. I think most members here are the responsible ones and something needs to be done about the locals and yahoos that go out on a storm day. I know when I see a chaser acting crazy, I will take a picture and post it on here for the world to see!

LOL thank you......I kept my mouth shut for the longest time because I wanted to be nice, but to preach the rules and "chaser code of ethics" to a forum based mainly of dedicated chasers I felt was a little out of line. I feel this issue can never get old, how many of you have said the most dangerous part of chasing is the traffic not the storm. **** happens, if I do my part in being responsible while driving and chasing then anything else that happens is out of my control. Sure I feel P'd off about it but its like beating a dead horse because no body listens as it is. One day something terrible will happen, but for those of us being responsible the odds of that happening to you is very small

 

[Shane Adams]

the only thing i have to say is people are gonna get killed someday by a onther chaser. i found this online by mr doswell. i think other people need to look this up and read it!

Storm Chasing with Safety, Courtesy, and Responsibility

by

Charles A. Doswell III
National Severe Storms Laboratory

If I had a dollar for every time someone has thrown that link in my face I could quit my job and just chase everything.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

Yeah, was going to say, the reason no one responded might have been because thats just how much we had to say about it. I realize from your posts you're new on the forum so I can't blame you, but I think every one on here has read that essay before.

 

[Forrest lambert]

Yea well im the type of person that looks out for a other person. but whatever we all knows the rules here that just ****** me off when i looked at page 1, cant blame me there!

 

[Adam Penney]

Ok, well this is my second post on stormtrack, and im already going to have to give an opinion..lol. Let me first by saying that I truly feel it is an HONOR to be part of this board. I have no been chasing for 3 years and when I first started, I read this board with amazement of how so many people had vast knowledge on chasing. I have looked up to many on this board and respect everyone for what they have accomplished. I will tell you that I am still learning everyday about the different aspects of chasing, but have already experienced many of the different frustrations that all have mentioned about chasing. I had the amazing oppurtunity last May to chase with Tim Marshall, Stuart Robinson, and Andy Revering. I know that they probably got annoyed with all of the questions I had, but I am a person that is dedicated to learning the specifics about chasing. It was an absolute honor to learn from, what I feel, are some of the best out there today.

Anyway enough of myself, and onto the topic at hand. At one point this season, I had the chance to discuss the topic of "newbies" or new chasers with Tim Marshall. I hope that he doesn't mind me using his name, but I have much respect for his opinon, since all of us know the experience, knowledge, and accomplishments that he has gained over the years. My point I tried to make to him is that I get frustrated when many of the "new" chasers recieve bad wraps, because of the idiots that David is describing. Im get absolutely angry over people like that. I know that many of the veterans on this board all had to start chasing at some point in their lives, and were once at a point such as myself, and didnt know all of the vast terminology and specifics about chasing. People that speed, or try to show off, can ruin reputations for people like me, that are just HONESTLY trying to do it the right way. I have spent hours studying, spending time learning how to read computer models, learning the vocabulary, not to even mention how to create my OWN forecasts. It pisses me off, everytime I hear of idiots on the road who try to tarnish the reputation of every chaser out there.

I guess my point is that there are people(like me)out there who have great respect for the people that paved the way to help get where we are today. I hope that these "nascar chasers" can maybe one day get a clue. If there is one thing that I have learned in my brief experience, chasing is not a race. Its about learning to analyze a storm and being knowledgeable enough to make the right decisions at the right time. David, I am sorry to learn about your experience, but I can promise you that there are still some people out there that are trying to learn and do it the right way.....

 

[Forrest lambert]

well said adam, well said. david just try to stay away from them. lol. we all have better things to do besides getting killed from a idiot!

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

We need a lightbar thread. Seems like it has been too long.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Who are these new chasers receiving bad wraps just because of how others have driven? I've never quite understood that. If someone bothers to "give a bad wrap" based off a general thought they may have....why on Earth would you care? So what if they think you drive like some other idiot they came across. Oh well. The storm you are chasing will never care.

I've just never understood any concern at all on how others may think of you. I'm glad there are some idiots out there acting stupid, if only it points out the other idiots lumping you into that group without knowing you. Works for me.

 

[Forrest lambert]

lot of people would care if a other chaser got killed. if u look in chucks Storm Chasing with Safety, Courtesy, and Responsibility.. he says a chaser got killed by a other chaser. but as for your comment point taken!

 

[Joey Ketcham]

lot of people would care if a other chaser got killed. if u look in chucks Storm Chasing with Safety, Courtesy, and Responsibility.. he says a chaser got killed by a other chaser. but as for your comment point taken!

I'm not aware of any accident involving two storm chasers. To date I only know of 2 storm chasers who've been killed and neither accidents involved another storm chaser or another person.

 

[David Drummond]

I'm not aware of any accident involving two storm chasers. To date I only know of 2 storm chasers who've been killed and neither accidents involved another storm chaser or another person.

And they weren't chasing at the time.

 

[Shane Adams]

I vote for the Death Penalty for anyone who posts that Doswell ethics link again too. Let's thin the herd.

And BTW, technically there has never been a "chasing" death. Being a chaser and driving does not a "chasing" death make. Both incidents being spoken of in this thread were traffic accidents.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

I vote for the Death Penalty for anyone who posts that Doswell ethics link again too. Let's thin the herd.

Does this link also invoke the death penalty?

And BTW, technically there has never been a "chasing" death. Being a chaser and driving does not a "chasing" death make. Both incidents being spoken of in this thread were traffic accidents.

Chasing involves mostly driving. Both of those chasers were killed on the road (which is the subject of this thread), returning from a chase, so IMO, these are "chaser deaths", or deaths related to chasing.

 

[David Drummond]

Yeah, but that implies a lot Greg. Like Jeff Wear, I know he was a good driver during chasing. What happened to him was just one of those things that could happen to anyone. He was well away from his "target area" of chasing, on the way home. Not even in the same class as what I started this thread about.

There is a sense of urgency I guess in some cases during some chases. I think that promotes some people to feel they can just drive with all disregard for anyone else. That stuff I witnessed was in rural areas, not even in metro areas, where I expect other people to be driving less that great. In fact, my chase through OKC metro, along the Interstates, I didn't even see any driving I would complain about.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

My point being that both chasers were returning from a chase. Think about your mental alertness and physical state after many high-stress hours of chasing - it's usually not in your normal state. I agree that there are others on the road who haven't been chasing in similar states (truckers pushing it to the limit, etc) who represent similar hazards to themselves.

But I also agree that these are different situations than those that started this thread.