The hour approaches, the tension mounts. Le Plessis-Robinson has a rendezvous with history, its history. A week after its success as expeditious as it was surprising in Saint-Nazaire (0-3), the Hauts-de-Seine club welcomes its opponent this Saturday (6 p.m.) for the final return of Ligue B. If a setback would oblige the two teams to play a beautiful decisive for the title in a week, a new victory on the other hand would offer Plessis a ticket for the national elite, the League A. A first for this club.
For Rudy Verhoeff also the evening promises to be rich in emotions. If successful, this match will indeed be the last of the career of the pointu du Plessis. At almost 32 years old (he will be celebrating them in June), the Calgary native has decided to put away his jersey and shorts to put on another costume, the more atypical one of a winegrower. After the season, the Canadian will return home to the Okanagan Valley, the birthplace of wine in Canada where the first vines were planted in 1860, to begin his new life. Although he admits that he has been a wine lover for a long time, he does not yet consider himself an expert. “Before I drank for pleasure, now I taste, I learn,” he says. At Le Plessis, he fell in love because some of his partners are also wine lovers and tasting evenings are regularly scheduled. Despite the different languages, wine facilitates exchange and rapprochement.
“I have discovered Alsace wine since I have been here,” continues the former Canadian international. The Chablis is also formidable and the Côtes-Du-Rhône… There are fewer varieties in Canada. Perhaps the most famous wine is Ice Wine (ice wine, made from frozen harvested grapes). Now that we have tasted French wines, we have become more demanding in what we want to do. We bought an old vine that is already producing, Stoneboat winery, and land where we are going to plant our vines, Valley Commons Winery. We will work with a French wine-maker. I want us to be proud of our wine. “
They live together for the first time since their marriage
Rudy, whose big brother makes craft beer, will not be alone to write this new chapter. This adventure will take place with the family, with his father, his uncle and his wife, Kyla Richey, herself a volleyball player in the nearby Stade Français Paris Saint-Cloud club. Even if the two lovebirds, in a relationship since 2014, have been married since 2016, this year in Paris is the first during which they finally live together.
“We especially wanted to be able to be with each other wherever the place, even in the middle of nowhere,” says Kyla, born June 20, 1989, 4 days before Rudy. But Paris is the city of romantics, one of the most beautiful in the world. When our agent told us there was an opportunity to come here it was like the icing on the cake. We didn’t hesitate for long. “
“We have never been able to play in the same country, so finding a good level of women’s and men’s teams in the same city is incredible, continues Verhoeff. Once, we both almost played in Greece, a few hours away from each other, but during the preparation the club ran out of money and I had to leave. When Kyla had contact with Paris, I told myself that the opportunity should not be missed. The two clubs and the two lovers have made concessions so that the affair is done.
Before leaving their luggage at Plessis-Robinson, they were forced to play globetrotters by favoring short contracts so as not to be separated for too long. Rudy has notably played in Switzerland, Germany, India as for Kyla, she has played in Turkey, Italy, Germany, but also in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Peru and even Puerto Rico. While Skype kept the link going, the time difference did not make the situation any easier. “When I got up she would go to training, when she came back I would go,” says Rudy. The year after our wedding was the worst, we had to wait until Christmas time to meet up in Abu Dhabi for a few days. “” It is also a chance to be two athletes, continues the Canadian international (144 capes), who will end his international career after the Tokyo Games this summer. When we were separated we knew why we were, that’s our job. Likewise when one of us is tired because of his day the other understands it. “
“Some messes for the dishes”
Finally reunited, with their dog Winnie, they discovered life together. “There were some messes, especially with the dishes,” laughs Kyla. Despite the confinement which deprived them of museums or restaurants, they appreciated “the calm in the parks or in the streets without tourists”. Especially Richey who is passionate about photography.
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“It was important to be with Kyla this year but I fell into a club with values,” says Rudy. I hope we will win but in any case, it will have been a very good season for me and to finish. You never know what the future holds, but when an opportunity arrives, you have to seize it. Even if we don’t know much about wine. We can learn. As an athlete I know how to lead a group, solve problems, handle pressure and work hard. High-level sport is a beautiful school of life. »A life that leads to everything.
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