Trading in a Snow Shovel for A Pickleball Paddle

What do you do when the snow gets so high that you can barely shovel it? The answer is simple—move to a warmer climate. And, that’s just what Seymour and Patrina Goldstein did in 2014.

The Goldsteins had lived in Brookville, MD, for over 40 years. Although they had retired in 2003, they didn’t make the move for 11 more years. They weighed the pros and cons of relocating and decided on finding a more moderate climate. “We were looking for a more active lifestyle and we found it,” said Seymour after attending an ideal-LIVING Expo at Tysons Corner in the fall of 2013.

Seymour said, “The Expo was a great place to find out about areas we were interested in. But, it was also nice to find out about other areas that we hadn’t considered.”

They identified a few areas and decided to try Wilmington, NC. They came down in April 2014 and toured several gated communities and chose Compass Pointe. And, the Goldsteins didn’t worry about one more miserable winter as their new home was built by Logan Homes and ready by November 2014. The Goldsteins had met with representatives from Compass Pointe and Logan Homes at the Expo.

“It was very easy to make friends. Everyone here is kind of new and from somewhere else. There are a lot of people from the D.C. area and the northeast.”

As founders of the pickleball club at Compass Pointe, the Goldsteins play pickleball about five times a week in the summer and about three times a week in the winter. After they sold their home in Maryland, they rented a home in a nearby community until their home was completed. It was there that they fell in love with pickleball. Although Compass Pointe already had pickleball courts, they didn’t have a club. Now that club has almost 80 members with more joining every month.

If you haven’t heard of pickleball, you will. Pickleball is kind of a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Played both indoors or outdoors, it’s played on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net, a plastic ball, and a paddle. It has been around since 1906, but really gained traction within the last decade, and now there are over 2.4 million pickleball participants nationally.

“Pickleball is much easier on seniors than tennis is, and it’s a lot of fun. We play mixed doubles, and when you play regularly with the same 30 people, you become good friends,” says Seymour.

While Patrina enjoys pickleball, her favorite activity is the Arts Club where she takes painting and pottery classes.

The Goldsteins are fond of going to nearby Wrighstville and Carolina beaches, only 25 to 30 minutes away. They also attend festivals in nearby historic Wilmington.

Patrina ended with, “And the taxes in North Carolina made it very appealing, too.”

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