Freshman Feature: Stormy Meier
September 16, 2019 | Soccer, HailStateBEAT
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Stormy Meier might have the perfect name.
It's not often that what people call you turns into your calling, but the freshman from Austin, Texas, is fascinated by weather that sends most people running for cover. As a child, she couldn't get enough.
"I lived in Omaha, Nebraska, so there were tornados everywhere," she said. "Most kids would be afraid of them, but I loved it. I loved sitting in the basement, listening to the sirens."
Her love for weather and soccer brought her to Mississippi State, where she could compete at a high level while studying in a program that has produced a third of today's on-air meteorologists.
But at first, Meier wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to do. In high school, she was always involved in multiple projects and organizations from starring in the school plays to planning events for her classmates.
Finally, the name helped settle it.
"I always liked weather, but I was also interested in architecture, nutrition, political science and even though about being a florist or songwriter," Meier said. "It was tough to narrow things down. Broadcast meteorology, Stormy, yeah that just works."
During her college search, Meier had a very particular set of criteria she was looking for. She wanted a large student body and a strong athletic department. She needed a school that not only had successful academic programs, but a major that would captivate her. And she wanted to spread her wings outside of Texas.
MSU's meteorology department helped make her decision easier. With 70 percent of U.S. broadcast meteorologists having ties to State's program, it was hard to turn the Bulldogs down.
Meier has already put in a few hours on camera, interning at a local television station while she was in high school. After shadowing reporters to learn the basics of working in broadcast news, she was thrown into the world of weather reporting. Working under to State graduates, she learned how to read computer models and utilize observations from satellites, ground radar and weather balloons.
"I scripted and delivered the weather on camera, so I have a film reel that I can use if I need it," she said. "They taught me how to read a lot of the weather maps, so I hope to have a leg up in some of my classes because I know what some of the maps are that we're looking at. I also did some behind-the-scenes production and got in some practice on the green screen."
Along the way, she learned first-hand the challenges that come with being on camera. A self-described performer, Meier expected her theater experience to help her in the studio, but working with the green screen proved to be especially challenging.
Meier had to stand in a small room surrounded by green walls with two small monitors on each side to help her locate herself on computer-generated maps.
"You had no idea what you were pointing at," she said. "You're almost in a guessing game trying to figure out where to look. There's literally nothing on there, and the screens you're looking at for reference are so tiny. It was hard, and I'm still not very used to it."
Even if she never quite gets a handle on the green screen, there's always storm chasing.
"Oh of course, I've always wanted to be on a chase team," Meier said. "I still do. That'd be awesome."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
STARKVILLE – Stormy Meier might have the perfect name.
It's not often that what people call you turns into your calling, but the freshman from Austin, Texas, is fascinated by weather that sends most people running for cover. As a child, she couldn't get enough.
"I lived in Omaha, Nebraska, so there were tornados everywhere," she said. "Most kids would be afraid of them, but I loved it. I loved sitting in the basement, listening to the sirens."
Her love for weather and soccer brought her to Mississippi State, where she could compete at a high level while studying in a program that has produced a third of today's on-air meteorologists.
But at first, Meier wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to do. In high school, she was always involved in multiple projects and organizations from starring in the school plays to planning events for her classmates.
Finally, the name helped settle it.
"I always liked weather, but I was also interested in architecture, nutrition, political science and even though about being a florist or songwriter," Meier said. "It was tough to narrow things down. Broadcast meteorology, Stormy, yeah that just works."
During her college search, Meier had a very particular set of criteria she was looking for. She wanted a large student body and a strong athletic department. She needed a school that not only had successful academic programs, but a major that would captivate her. And she wanted to spread her wings outside of Texas.
MSU's meteorology department helped make her decision easier. With 70 percent of U.S. broadcast meteorologists having ties to State's program, it was hard to turn the Bulldogs down.
Meier has already put in a few hours on camera, interning at a local television station while she was in high school. After shadowing reporters to learn the basics of working in broadcast news, she was thrown into the world of weather reporting. Working under to State graduates, she learned how to read computer models and utilize observations from satellites, ground radar and weather balloons.
"I scripted and delivered the weather on camera, so I have a film reel that I can use if I need it," she said. "They taught me how to read a lot of the weather maps, so I hope to have a leg up in some of my classes because I know what some of the maps are that we're looking at. I also did some behind-the-scenes production and got in some practice on the green screen."
Along the way, she learned first-hand the challenges that come with being on camera. A self-described performer, Meier expected her theater experience to help her in the studio, but working with the green screen proved to be especially challenging.
Meier had to stand in a small room surrounded by green walls with two small monitors on each side to help her locate herself on computer-generated maps.
"You had no idea what you were pointing at," she said. "You're almost in a guessing game trying to figure out where to look. There's literally nothing on there, and the screens you're looking at for reference are so tiny. It was hard, and I'm still not very used to it."
Even if she never quite gets a handle on the green screen, there's always storm chasing.
"Oh of course, I've always wanted to be on a chase team," Meier said. "I still do. That'd be awesome."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
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