Ever since New Mexico residents, George Painter and JoAnn Perry met 22 years ago, there haven’t been many adventures the couple was willing to pass up. It all began when the two met in the early 90’s as George was in computer sales and had come to make a pitch to the organization JoAnn was working for at the time.
“There was somebody in the crowd that was a bit of a distraction for me,” smiles George.
Turns out, George had a bigger influence on one audience member than any others in the crowd. And once the two connected, there wouldn’t be much that would pull them apart. Twenty-two years later, they are still having a ball. “We’ve been together ever since,” says JoAnn, regarding that first meeting. “We still have fun and we still like each other,” she jokes.
So what’s the secret to two decades of bliss? It’s pretty simple really, “have fun together.” For JoAnn, she has her hobbies. For George, he has his work and his passions of photography and laser engraving. Put them both together and you have a couple of people that love getting out and meeting new people.
“Life is too short if you aren’t gonna take the time to enjoy it,” says George.
Much of that enjoyment comes from travel. As members of the “SOTTS (Stations of the Trains)”, George and JoAnn love doing some train hopping with friends for some fellowship and an occasional sip of wine. “We’re a semi-religious group,” laughs George.
But perhaps the biggest trip recently came in the shape of a 1,500 mile journey east from their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Great Waters golf course at Reynolds Lake Oconee -site of the inaugural Big Break Invitational. The two made the somewhat spontaneous trip in order to meet the “Big Break” contestants and watch their favorite reality stars in real life.
Since season 2, George and JoAnn have watched the show religiously after some friends introduced them to the series; even taping and re-watching episodes from season-to-season. JoAnn has enjoyed it so much that she’s even taken the game up herself and joined a weekly golf group at her nearby club.
So it should be no surprise that once JoAnn found out all her favorite Big Break contestants were coming together for a live televised event; she felt like she had stumbled upon her version of the Super Bowl. “I was watching Golf Channel and they showed the promo with Jerry Rice and Kristy McPherson and thought it was going to be taped,” says JoAnn. “But as soon as I found it was an Invitational and open to the public, I went to the site and ordered my tickets.”
Two weeks later, they’re standing just yards from the first tee with cameras in hand to watch their favorite players compete first-hand. Just minutes after arriving to the course, George and JoAnn got the chance to chat with contestants and recent newlyweds, Julian Trudeau and Mallory Blackwelder, as well as a meet and greet with contestant, Sara Brown. The couple even got a special invitation from Reynolds Lake Oconee executives to dine with contestants at the evening Pro-Am award ceremony at the Great Waters Clubhouse.
“The people here are just so friendly,” says JoAnn. “We feel like royalty after deciding to make the trip here.”
It’s pretty clear you won’t find many people with the same level of dedication to the Big Break franchise that this New Mexico couple has shown. But one thing is for certain, for the King and Queen of the Big Break fans, this week will definitely be one that they never forget.
