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- The 16-year-old Joy van der Westhuizen made a big splash at the 8th Africa Aquatic Zone 3 Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, by invitation of the Swimming South Africa federation in November last year.
- This Heathfield teen sat down with the People’s Post at the poolside to share more about her strokes of talent in beating her personal bests in the water and touched on her early experiences abroad.
- In December 2022, she was selected for the swimming team that participated in the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games in Lilongwe, Malawi.
“Life has ups and downs, and all you have to do is just keep swimming . . .” said 16-year-old Joy van der Westhuizen who made a big splash at the 8th Africa Aquatic Zone 3 Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, by invitation of the Swimming South Africa federation in November last year.
This Heathfield teen sat down with the People’s Post at the poolside to share more about her strokes of talent in beating her personal bests in the water and touched on her early experiences abroad.
“This time around in Rwanda, I was representing the Swimming SA federation, whereas I previously represented our country at a swimming gala in Malawi,” she said, reminiscing about the trip’s “wholesome atmosphere”.
“We were a group of 14 swimmers and we got to be closely-knit, even still chatting daily on the WhatsApp group initially dedicated to the trip.”
In December 2022, she was selected for the swimming team that participated in the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games in Lilongwe, Malawi.
When it came to experiencing another African state, Joy said: “It was a humbling experience as we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. I believe it was so important that we went to the memorial; to see how the people of Rwanda are now coping as a nation. I believe we, as South Africans, have a lot to learn from them.”
As to her competition among swimmers from all around the continent, “it was not as intimidating as I had imagined. Everyone was wearing headphones anyway, getting into their zone. But as interactions unfolded, competitors liked asking each other interesting questions and wishing each other luck for upcoming items.
“Some competitors were a bit over-the-top and quite cocky! But I could tell it came from a lot of passion and love for the sport.”
Being fully immersed in water can either be a physically liberating, whimsical experience or someone’s greatest fear. But for Joy, swimming comes naturally, like a fish newly born to another world.
“A fish’s survival depends on swimming. It is not an end to, but a means of survival in swimming to his next meal, or mate for procreation. It’s an important life lesson in that it gives you opportunities and contributes to who you are.”
Her favourite swimming style is butterfly, “yet the breaststroke remains my toughest challenge. But with the butterfly . . . I’m just very good at it. So many different swimmers are intimidated by the butterfly stroke since it requires the most amount of energy to be able to breach the water for air. To me, it’s just such a beautiful stroke utilising your entire wingspan.”
Her mother Marcelle initially enrolled Joy for swimming lessons under the guidance of coach Shrone Austin from the age of 10 as a safety precaution. “Never did I expect that she would love it so much. Not only that, but she’s a natural completely excelling in her element!”
As a proud pupil of Wynberg Girls High belonging to Aqua Dolphin Swimming Club in Bergvliet, Joy remained modest in saying she had improved her personal best times with precious milliseconds. “My personal best for the 200 m backstroke was just over 2 minutes and 47 seconds. But this time, I broke even at 2 minutes and 47 seconds,” she blushed, saying: “Every split second counts”!
This year, however, Joy is determined to shake those seconds off her personal best time for the butterfly stroke. “I’m only six seconds away from SA Nationals Junior categories qualifying times. That is a totally doable aim for 2024.”
But does she view swimming as developing into a fully-fledged career, like competing in the Olympics?
“For me, personally, yes. My hope is that I may qualify for the Water Olympic Sports in 2028 as a main goal. But long term, I definitely see myself becoming a coach.
“Swimming is not only a valuable life skill, but a crucial survival skill. I dream about teaching, especially the children in my community of Heathfield, the importance of water safety. It would mean so much to them.”
To that aim, her South African heroes in the aquatic world are the likes of Tatjana Schoenmaker and Chad le Clos, while internationally she looks up to Michael Phelps.
“I’m not sure how long in time, but I can hold my breath for as long as one-and-a-half laps in a 25 m swimming pool. As far as tricks go, I like doing underwater handstands and flips. I also pretend to be a mermaid when my friends and I swim together.
“I’ve always wanted a mermaid tail!” she exclaimed with a cute growl.
Joy might just accomplish this with the paycheck of a chemical engineer, as she aspires to be one day. “Right now, my subjects are more aligned with architecture, since I have a knack for art. But there’s still time for me to choose wisely.”
