It all started ten years ago, with a message, a first contact and a growing admiration for the top billiard player and the man himself. Milenca Stuyck from Zundert (Netherlands) has been following billiard player Eddy Merckx closely for ten years: all matches, results and tournaments being at home, but often also traveling with him to World Cups or other major tournaments. Milenca is a super fan of the Belgian billiard player, who is high on the world ranking list. ''When Eddy is playing, I sometimes get five years older in my chair'', she says. The Kozoom Challenge Cup, from 29 September to 1 October in Arès, South West France, is coming up again with eight top billiard players. Milenca Stuyck will be there all those days to support Eddy Merckx.
Kozoom made a portrait of Milenca, mother of two children, one of the most loyal female fans in the World Cup circuit: ''My next tournament is the Kozoom Challenge Cup, which I keep fond memories of for a special reason.''
Passport:
Name: Milenca Stuyck
Age: 31 years old
Residence: Zundert
Relationship with: Lennart Schrauwen
Children: 2 daughters, Benthe aged 5 and Ize aged 1.
Job: Supervisor in complex care
Kozoom/Frits Bakker: So you're a big fan of Eddy Merckx, how and when did that come about?
Milenca: It all started with a message to him about a cheese and wine evening that took place in the former pub of Eddy and Brenda. Our grandma and grandpa wanted to go there. After that, I saw Eddy regularly in the billiard café De Deken and from then on I sometimes went to watch league matches. A friendship developed and after a few years, I went along to a World Cup for the first time. In the meantime, we have been friends for over ten years, he is the godfather of our two children, we have spent weekends away with Brenda and Lennart, we had many parties and dinners and we have made many wonderful memories. He is rightfully one of my best friends.
Kozoom/FB: Why is Eddy such a wonderful billiard player for a supporter like you?
Milenca: What I like most about Eddy is that he always says that he is grateful that he was able to make his hobby his profession. And what is more beautiful than that? Doing work that you enjoy. His motivation, his charisma at the table, the person he is both at the billiard table and beside the table are things I respect enormously. I also know that Eddy is a wonderful person. He has a sense of humor, we can talk about anything, he is critical of himself, he is passionate about sport, likes to party and dance... Those are all things that I certainly appreciate in a person.
Kozoom/FB: Where have you followed Eddy in major events so far? And what was the best memory?
Milenca: I went with him to Luxor, Cairo, Randers, Viersen, Las Vegas, Porto, Antalya, Bordeaux, Bolivia... That's quite a few, I think. And then the bigger tournaments in Belgium and the Netherlands plus the competitions in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. The sporting highlight was in Luxor. It was the first time I went to a World Cup. He won it that year. It was very special to experience that for the first time. In terms of locations, Las Vegas and Cairo were two highlights. To be able to visit the pyramids in Cairo and to take a camel ride was amazing. Las Vegas was impressive in terms of size, the people there and the Grand Canyon were great.
Kozoom/FB: How did you come into billiards? Did you play yourself? Which club for instance?
Milenca: When I was 13/14 years of age, I played with my grandfather at a friends club on the small table. It was fun to be on the road with our grandpa and I also liked the game, even though I wasn't very good, haha. With our grandma as the biggest fan. Later on, I played a few years in the league at the small table at BC Polygoon in Brasschaat. I also played at the Belgian championships three-cushion at the match table. Now we have our own table at home and I stick to that.
Kozoom/FB: Are you Dutch or Belgian?
Milenca: I am still Belgian and I am very proud of that, haha. However, I have been living in Zundert (the Netherlands) for 12 years together with Lennart.
Kozoom/FB: How do you combine it with your job and with your family, supporting a world class player?
Milenca: I work with people with disabilities and behavioral problems and do that work with a lot of pleasure. Fortunately, I always get to combine it with holidays, my friend who keeps things running smoothly at home and lots of super grandparents, aunts and uncles who are happy to help out so that I can get away for a few days. Apart from that, I am also very grateful for a friend like Lennart who accepts that I like to go along to billiard events. But I am also very grateful to Brenda, Eddy's wife, who always allows me to go with her husband. We also get on very well together. The four of us and the children have regularly been on weekend trips and that is always great fun.
Kozoom/FB: What do you think about women in a sport like billiards? Both as a player and as a supporter?
Milenca: I think that there should be more women in the sport, but I can also imagine that for many women it is not possible. I also have a lot of respect for women like Therese Klompenhouwer. She has a clear goal, dedicates herself to it and can make her hobby her profession. As a fan, I can also imagine that it is not an interesting sport for many women. The circle of women you meet at bigger events are mostly wives, acquaintances or friends and few women who find the sport itself interesting. In countries like Korea, I think the number is somewhat bigger.
Kozoom/FB: How is Eddy doing in the new season?
Milenca: You should better ask him yourself, haha. I think he will start the season with a fresh look and he is looking forward to it. He always wants to get the best out of himself and with that attitude you have already won half.
Kozoom/FB: How well do you know Eddy by now? How can you see if he feels good or if he has a bad day? And can you, as a fan, inspire him in a match?
Milenca: I know Eddy pretty well after almost 10 years of supporting him. But I can see things from his facial expression and a certain attitude. Sometimes I can be completely wrong, haha.
I don't know whether I inspire Eddy to better matches. I try to be a sounding board after matches, I can talk about it after a match (my technical knowledge expands little by little) and I dare to give a little healthy criticism now and then.
Kozoom/FB: Do you have plans this year to go to some big events to support him?
Milenca: This year, I am going to the Kozoom Challenge Cup. I am really looking forward to that. Last year my grandparents ('bomma and bompa') travelled with us. We had some very nice days there. My grandma in particular mentioned so many times how much she enjoyed being back on the road with her little potato (that's how she always called me). I was raised by them, so such a trip together with their granddaughter was special. Unfortunately, she passed away unexpectedly in January this year. The fact that I am going to the Kozoom tournament again this year is a bit of a burden for me. But I am really looking forward to it. I will drink a glass of wine to her at the seaside. I don't have any concrete plans yet, but one or two World Cups in a year is something I definitely want to go to. The rest is bonus.
Kozoom/FB: Do you have only one big favorite, or are there more players in world billiards?
Milenca: Haha, honestly? My big favorite is Eddy, it's just that easy. That doesn't mean I don't respect the other players or don't like to watch them. I like watching matches. Eddy always wants to watch a number of matches at the World Cups and then we watch them together. Furthermore, I certainly do support our Belgian and Dutch delegation players. Roland Forthomme, Peter Ceulemans, Dick Jaspers, you name them. If a Belgian or Dutch tricolor is playing, I certainly support them. If they are playing against Eddy, my preference is clear.
Kozoom/FB: What is the best thing about international tournaments: the supporting, or also a kind of holiday?
Milenca: A combination of the two, definitely! During Eddy's matches, I sometimes die on my chair from the tension, or I spontaneously become 5 years older. When he is behind, I always keep believing in him, I know what he is capable of. But seeing places in the world is certainly a nice bonus, especially if that is with your best friend.
Thank you, Milenca, for the spontaneous interview
Tickets on sale: https://store.kozoom.com/nl/boeken-videos/evenementen-pas.html
Friends together: with Brenda, Eddy, Milenca and Lennart
Eddy with the children of Milenca and Lennart: Ize and Benthe
Milenca and Eddy at the Kozoom Challenge Cup last year