Edman85 Posted August 6 Posted August 6 If you are connected with me on the socials, you know this is a hot button issue for me. This may belong in the pet peeve thread, but hey. I'm fired up this week because in the past week in my beach volleyball leagues, I have walked off the court when lightning was clearly too close and everybody just kept on playing. While I am outspoken about it and bring it on, I am insulted regularly for this, masculinity questioned. People in the league just keep on playing until the rain comes, and then when it is finally cancelled they hang out at the outdoor bar near the courts. Last week my playoff game was a forfiet (until it wasn't when they called it ten minutes later). Often, people will wait out lightning delays under a tent. One time several years ago golfing, I heard thunder, saw lightning, but was not driving the cart and had to walk basically a mile back to my car because the person driving the cart refused to go to shelter. Earlier this year, I was boating with friends. I had been monitoring the weather all week and thought we were likely okay if we got back to the dock by 3-4pm. The sandbar we were at was an hour or so away from the dock. I saw clouds building up around 2:30 and was ignored for 45 minutes by the masses who relied on "future radar" to say we are okay. We got caught in a nasty lightning storm after waiting too long. Time and time again, other people around me ignore the danger of lightning or just do the dumbest things during storms, and I feel like I am on an island taking precautions. Just needed to vent... 1 Quote
romad1 Posted August 6 Posted August 6 Heard and validated. People are generally stupid and they get stupider the more alcohol or youth sports is involved. Quote
Motor City Sonics Posted August 6 Posted August 6 10 hours ago, Edman85 said: If you are connected with me on the socials, you know this is a hot button issue for me. This may belong in the pet peeve thread, but hey. I'm fired up this week because in the past week in my beach volleyball leagues, I have walked off the court when lightning was clearly too close and everybody just kept on playing. While I am outspoken about it and bring it on, I am insulted regularly for this, masculinity questioned. People in the league just keep on playing until the rain comes, and then when it is finally cancelled they hang out at the outdoor bar near the courts. Last week my playoff game was a forfiet (until it wasn't when they called it ten minutes later). Often, people will wait out lightning delays under a tent. One time several years ago golfing, I heard thunder, saw lightning, but was not driving the cart and had to walk basically a mile back to my car because the person driving the cart refused to go to shelter. Earlier this year, I was boating with friends. I had been monitoring the weather all week and thought we were likely okay if we got back to the dock by 3-4pm. The sandbar we were at was an hour or so away from the dock. I saw clouds building up around 2:30 and was ignored for 45 minutes by the masses who relied on "future radar" to say we are okay. We got caught in a nasty lightning storm after waiting too long. Time and time again, other people around me ignore the danger of lightning or just do the dumbest things during storms, and I feel like I am on an island taking precautions. Just needed to vent... I was at the only Michigan game in history to be ended early. Brady Hoke's first game vs. Western Michigan. It was extremely hot that day. I was sitting about 3 rows from the top. Then the clouds built up and a driving rain started and it was a very hard, sideways rain. Got soaked. It felt great. They took the players off the field for about 40 minutes because there was lightning within a certain distance, even though at the at point with about half the people gone, I was at the top and looking over the horizon and did not see it. The players came back. The game continued but then we saw more weather coming from our vantage point. Saw the lightning this time, and plenty of it - way off in the distance. The rain started again. Sideways again, but from the other direction. Me and the guys I was with we thought about the fact that we are at the top of a large metal bowl with a bunch of antennas all around............might be time to leave. They would up pulling the players again and then decided to call it early just before the end of the 3rd quarter (they were showing radar on the scoreboard and it was a train of storms). Michigan was up big anyway. Then had to take the shuttle back, soaking wet, with the a/c on the bus on high. Freezing the whole way. I think I got lucky there. I don't f with lightning either. Let them make fun of you. You can go to their funerals and give them a big raspberry. There's always a song....... Quote
Motor City Sonics Posted August 6 Posted August 6 (edited) Wow, the date on that Lou Christie video. May 17, 1974. That was the day that 3 car bombs went off in about 5 minutes in Dublin and then one in Monaghan about 90 minutes later. The Monaghan bombing was about 7-10 miles from the border of the North and it's believed it was meant to draw attention away from the border so the bombers could get back to the North. A very very dark day. The worst day of The Troubles. Edited August 6 by Motor City Sonics Quote
oblong Posted August 6 Posted August 6 MLB must have changed their protocols because in the last few years they make you clear the stadium when there's lightning around. That wasn't a thing before. Fans bitch. "It's not even raining..... they can play....." Quote
Edman85 Posted August 6 Author Posted August 6 Oh... I didn't mention I was struck when I was 15, laying inside by a window when it struck the tree right outside and got into our house's electric system via electric dog fence. Not a direct strike, but enough to make me numb and slur speech for 30 minutes or so. Quote
romad1 Posted August 6 Posted August 6 Just now, Edman85 said: Oh... I didn't mention I was struck when I was 15, laying inside by a window when it struck the tree right outside and got into our house's electric system via electric dog fence. Not a direct strike, but enough to make me numb and slur speech for 30 minutes or so. RF burns are also very bad. I got a sting from an antenna from an HF backpack radio and it really messed me up. Nowhere near as bad as it might have been but it gave me great concern about safety with high power radio signal. I have heard of dudes who got both lightning and RF burns at the same time from setting up one of those taller HF antennas in the field. Quote
Edman85 Posted August 6 Author Posted August 6 3 minutes ago, oblong said: MLB must have changed their protocols because in the last few years they make you clear the stadium when there's lightning around. That wasn't a thing before. Fans bitch. "It's not even raining..... they can play....." The lightning safety advocates I have started following on the socials have started going after MLB for not being strict enough. Notably leaving the umpires in charge of making the lightning call. The balk call in Jacksonville last month being one such incident... Quote
CMRivdogs Posted August 6 Posted August 6 i had one close experience and that was enough. Early 70s, I was working at a small radio station in Bedford, Va. The transmitter was in the control room. We had a strike, I saw the bolt come down thru the clock and hit the transmitter while I was on the air. Scary, This was still when transmitters had tubes. The owners dog, an older golden, would sometimes wander into the control room when there were storms. He was laying in there then, somehow he beat me out the door (which swung in) Quote
gehringer_2 Posted August 6 Posted August 6 (edited) My craziest lightning experience was one summer when I was a teenager - there used to be a couple of little 2 pump gas stations kitty corner at Bowers Rd and Lk Pleasant Rd (near Imlay city) - both just 2 laners - pretty much no traffic in those days, you were hardly off the road at the pumps. We were filling a couple of 5 gallon portable tanks for a ski-boat (there's a lake nearby) when lightning stuck smack in the middle of the intersection. I guess it couldn't decide which gas station to blow up and ended up splitting the difference 🤣. Once our hair settled back down we walked out to see the scorch mark in the pavement. We didn't care - we were all pretty young and stupid. Edited August 6 by gehringer_2 Quote
Edman85 Posted August 6 Author Posted August 6 Today in Lightning... A storm is rolling through town but doesn't make it to the beach. The commish of the volleyball league cancels games because lightning is in range and he doesn't want his helpers to have to set up the courts in that. The group text is ripping him to shreds because it isn't raining there. Quote
oblong Posted August 8 Posted August 8 Do they not understand what state and climate they live in? How long have they lived there? I've only been there 4 times during this time of year for a week at a time and know full well that thunderstorms can pretty much pop up anytime anywhere in the afternoon. Quote
Edman85 Posted August 10 Author Posted August 10 On 8/8/2025 at 2:33 PM, oblong said: Do they not understand what state and climate they live in? How long have they lived there? I've only been there 4 times during this time of year for a week at a time and know full well that thunderstorms can pretty much pop up anytime anywhere in the afternoon. I think if nothing else that gives them the false sense of security. Every time they chance lightning, they think it won't get them next time. Quote
Motor City Sonics Posted August 12 Posted August 12 (edited) On 8/6/2025 at 8:45 AM, oblong said: MLB must have changed their protocols because in the last few years they make you clear the stadium when there's lightning around. That wasn't a thing before. Fans bitch. "It's not even raining..... they can play....." Maybe it's owners thinking "You know, if one of 'em gets hit, that's millions off the payroll.........plus think of all the sympathy merch that'll sell". Yeah, I am that cynical about those bastards. Edited August 12 by Motor City Sonics Quote
Edman85 Posted August 13 Author Posted August 13 My league currently in a lightning delay. Of the 20 or so people that have early games, 8 of them are at a table at the outside bar, 11 are hanging out under palm trees to stay dry. I am alone at the inside bar browsing MTF. Quote
gehringer_2 Posted August 13 Posted August 13 1 hour ago, Edman85 said: My league currently in a lightning delay. Of the 20 or so people that have early games, 8 of them are at a table at the outside bar, 11 are hanging out under palm trees to stay dry. I am alone at the inside bar browsing MTF. you would have been one of those surviving servants of Job. Quote
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