A female pool player from Strandfontein has made history at an international tournament.
Joy Willenberg, 37, has become the first woman ever to win a discipline in Artistic Pool at the 2024 WPA World Artistic Blackball Pool Championship held in Bridlington, United Kingdom.
She secured a podium finish in the stroke shot discipline, marking a significant achievement for women in the sport.
Artistic Pool is a unique variation of the game that involves trick shots, fancy shots, and skill shot challenges, setting it apart from traditional pool.
The cue sport features eight distinct disciplines, each requiring players to execute five shots.
These include Trick & Fancy, Special Arts, Draw, Follow, Bank/Kick, Stroke, Jump, and Massé.
“I feel pretty excited. It is something that I didn’t expect to win because it's something new to everyone,” Joy tells the Daily Voice.
“I played it once before where we could try the shots, and it was interesting, so I entered without any expectation.”
Joy's pool journey began years ago when she reached her first national championships in Bloemfontein in 2007.
Since then, she has participated in various national and international competitions, including Blackball, Eight Ball, and Snooker World Championships.
“My journey has sort of been a bit of everything and I have probably been to 12 different countries through different cue sports,” she says.
“What makes this one unique is that there are hardly any females playing Artistic Pool.”
Joy was also part of the South African women’s team that won the World 8-ball Women’s Team Championship in 2019 in Blackpool.
She also claimed the gold medal in the women’s blackball event at the 2021 Arnold Classic, which took place at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg, and earlier this year, she secured the Blackball South Africa singles title at the Suncoast Casino in Durban.
When she isn't concentrating on the white ball, she dedicates her time to managing her clients at her branding firm.
Joy says while the sport is expanding, the ongoing issue of insufficient funding remains a concern for major events.
“Had there been funding or sponsors, I could have gone to two tournaments held in Doha and Morocco. If you do have that funding and backing, your performance will automatically be better,” she adds.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za