Pics from 4/15 & some ramblings
Just got my stills uploaded. Video to come later.
http://www.texastailchaser.com/chases/2006/april15/pictures/
I did want to correct that Bob Hall, Justin Teague and Matt Patterson shot video of the same tornado near Beatrice as they were teamed up for this event. Nice work.
Also, the 12Z NAM for this event screwed up the mid and upper jet forecast for the event. It had them too far south....especially with the 250mb jet across central OK and pronounced left exit region over S/SE KS by 00Z. Wrong again. The 12z RUC was further north and right on target. As a result, the storms didn't fire south of the mid level jet streak until after dark when the streak had moved over SE KS.
Lastly, a special nod to Randy Hicks. He's the chaser whose video was shown on CNN and CNN.com that is pretty exhilerating. Although the tornado appears to take a swipe at them, it looked like powerful RFD to me as the tornado was already past them. I don't believe they intended to drive into it....in my opinion. So what if they did? It's a free country. Others think they were IN the tornado and that they purposefully drove into it. Randy and company are apparently guilty of showing extreme excitement and elation. A few in the chase community are calling for a "Spanish Inquisition" headed by Chuck Doswell himself.
Break out the pointy cushions and harsh rhetoric! That'll teach them a lesson! LOL!!
What's even more curious to me are "veteran" or "well-known" chasers who have had much more dangerous and close encounters of a similar nature, even very recently, and yet they are "praised" or "commended" for such cool, thrilling video with lots of "ooos and ahs". Stormcult indeed.
http://www.texastailchaser.com/chases/2006/april15/pictures/
I did want to correct that Bob Hall, Justin Teague and Matt Patterson shot video of the same tornado near Beatrice as they were teamed up for this event. Nice work.
Also, the 12Z NAM for this event screwed up the mid and upper jet forecast for the event. It had them too far south....especially with the 250mb jet across central OK and pronounced left exit region over S/SE KS by 00Z. Wrong again. The 12z RUC was further north and right on target. As a result, the storms didn't fire south of the mid level jet streak until after dark when the streak had moved over SE KS.
Lastly, a special nod to Randy Hicks. He's the chaser whose video was shown on CNN and CNN.com that is pretty exhilerating. Although the tornado appears to take a swipe at them, it looked like powerful RFD to me as the tornado was already past them. I don't believe they intended to drive into it....in my opinion. So what if they did? It's a free country. Others think they were IN the tornado and that they purposefully drove into it. Randy and company are apparently guilty of showing extreme excitement and elation. A few in the chase community are calling for a "Spanish Inquisition" headed by Chuck Doswell himself.
Break out the pointy cushions and harsh rhetoric! That'll teach them a lesson! LOL!!What's even more curious to me are "veteran" or "well-known" chasers who have had much more dangerous and close encounters of a similar nature, even very recently, and yet they are "praised" or "commended" for such cool, thrilling video with lots of "ooos and ahs". Stormcult indeed.
posted by Steve Miller TX at 4/17/2006 10:12:00 PM
6 Comments:
I can't comment on Randy yet because I need to wait in see who he is friends with. If he knows any famous well known chasers and are friends with them then I will cheer him on and say "way to go Randy! If he is not friends with any famous chasers then I will say "boo Randy" your going to ruin it for everybody. I guess I could check his post count over at ST also, if it is high enough that could put him in the "awesome job Randy" catagory! lol
I would comment one way or the other but fear I could tarnish Randy's potential future in the chase community...
If I say "GO RANDY!", the sheep will fall in to order and probably burn his house down, run over his dog, or TRY to bring him down from behind a firewall installed in his or her parent's basement.
If I say "RANDY SUCKS", within minutes there will be a thread on ST and several blogs abuzz concerning what a pompous ass Steve Miller OK is for passing judgement on an innocent little chaser trying to make it big.
As I said in Bob's blog concerning the pricks who posted there about his group's catch last weekend -
They kick ya when you're down; they kick you harder when you're up.
I guess I've always been right in not giving a shit about anything other than my own personal chase comings and goings. I wasn't trying to sound high and mighty, just show a little concern for the activity I love. But nothing's gonna keep me from chasing, so if these guys wanna get themselves killed, I'm all for it. FWIW, I don't know of anyone I've ever praised for driving into a tornado.
I don't care who he's friends with, I gave my opinion on it and it still stands. If he wants to kill himself, I'm all for it. It's one thing to do dumb shit, it's quite another to advertise it on national television. But hey, what do I care? I do my own thang and ain;t no motherfucker gonna stop me. So drive into another one Randy, except this time make it a violent one. Everyone drives into the pussy ass weak ones, make some history and entertain America next time. If you're gonna do it - DO IT RIGHT.
I support the freedom and thus his right to drive into a tornado. He's not endangering anybody else's safety, right? (an argument could be made about his passengers, but nobody's asked them about it). He should be able to do whatever he pleases. But, just let me get my camcorder rolling first so I can document the results. :-)
Let me pose another question: what about all of the "veteren" and "well known" chasers INTENTIONALLY driving into the eye of a CAT 3 or 4 hurricane making landfall? (they'll do it with a CAT 5 someday too...just wait)Aren't they putting their lives in just as much danger? Isn't this equivalent to driving into an F0-F3 tornado? The debris is much more extensive and dangerous. What about surge, flooding, downed power lines, falling trees, looters, armed citizens, ruptured gas lines, etc.
Yet, nothing but praise and "oohs and ahhs" from the audience as everybody snatches up their video....including every media outlet out there for current event viewing and later for documentaries.
The public effect is stil the same when "chaser x" is showing some flavor of elation or excitement when the roof of a house is peeled back or a gas station awning is blown into the next state. Again, nobody I've seen has publicly trounced them as they are doing now to Randy.
The difference? They're "veteren" and/or "well respected members of the stormchasing community". If any individual dares to question them, they are then themselves savagely attacked and blasted for doing so. Instantly, it is pointed out how so-and-so chaser has been chasing for 20 years and has seen 100 times the tornadoes than the accuser has seen (based on website analysis)...so therefore, they don't have a right to say shit. That's just for starters.
There's my $0.02 thrown into the pot. LOL!
Two words "Sean Casey". The chase world had been ripping and making fun of this guy forever and then he became associated with a few people and they all had to backtrack, that was funny to watch.
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