Hervé M.
Finally we have a spotlight on a player from Fireball… yeah it took awhile, but let’s give it up for Hervé. Read more… nuff said.
Name: Hervé M.
Team: Sisters Fireball!!!
Position: How dare you asking...:-) Outside mainly or Libero, when required (but it's quite boring...).
Number of Years Playing: Awww... I think Jesus Christ was already born... More seriously, I started at the age of 11.
Been with the Spikers since: since I arrived in London lol. I arrived in April 2009 I think and I started in September the same year lol. I knew the club through the outdoor sessions in Hyde Park. It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of people that I would consider my friends now! I started socialising a lot during the Sunday sessions at SpreadEagles. Too many shots and stories that I cant share with anyone...
So from your name and accent, I'm going to guess you are from Kingston, Jamaica. Tell us more about where you're from and how the hell did you end up in Londres?
I was born in Angers a town located at the border of Brittany in France (ot that far from the village of Asterix...). I studied in the South of France and started working in Lille close to the Belgian border. I had a lot of fun till a head hunter called me to work in Ireland, Dublin. I wanted to travel so I accepted it. I stayed there over a year but it was the economic crisis. Nobody was paying our bills and everyone was leaving. My landord at that time was so desperate that I managed to rengotiate my rent twice in the same period. My company decided then to shut the Irish subsidiary and offered me a position in London and here we are!!!!:-) I thought I would stay a couple of years before going back home. Now I feel a bit like a foreigner when I go home.
Question Number 2: How do you pay that mortgage?
Via a bank transfer bitch! More seriously I work in an accounting firm and I help companies getting some money from the Government for research and innovation. I promise it is less boring that it seems lol! I talked to a lot of geeky guys and discover a lot of things... Sometimes it is a bit disgusting. I remember once I visited a completely automated factory in Wales for pet food. There was nobody inside but the smell was horrendous like warm vomit....
You took this legendary Anti-Eat Pray Love trip to Mongolia awhile back. Tell us what that was like... racks of lamb on the open fire after chasing potential brides on horseback?
Very instructive, a few fun facts:
Mongolian horses are very small and they look very cute but riding them is a nightmare when trotting. I almost lost my private parts in that trip...
Camels are amazing creatures, everything they produce or do is useful. They can transport anyone, they can be used for farming. Their milk can be turned into a horrible cheese that is apparently edible (not sure about that, it tastes like rotten eggs). Locals also recycle camel shit using it as a fuel they burn during the night (it feels very cozy I promise...)
Sand surfing is not cool. You never manage to surf and then you end up with a kilo of sand scratching your buttock for a week
Mongolian people have good taste in wine. I ended up in a fancy bar in Ulan Bator, the capital city, and they had some sprakling wine from my home town ("cremant de Loire"):-)
Not having a shower for a week in the desert of Gobi can have an incredible impact on your hair, you can brush your hair with your hand on the left side and suddenly your hair doesn't move (no need for hair gel, brilliant...)
Mongolian guides are superheroes, they have no compass, no map but can find their way in the desert without hesitation, it's fascinating.
Finish this phrase: "When in France you should always..."
Check for any STD (seriously those Frenchies are real sluts...)
A-NON mon dieu, mais c’est vrai. Une autre question: Un verre de Bourgogne ou de Bordeaux?
Bourgogne for stew and Bordeaux for a nice steak!
Est-que tu préfère une pièce du boeuf ou une pièce du beauf?
I am definitely for the boeuf I can't imagine myself without meat. My family doesn't understand what being vegetarian means (my mum would probably serve chicken if she was asked to cook for vegetarian guests...)
Just tell her to ask “So you’re vegetarian euhh? You want pork or chicken?” Anyways, tell us about some of your more memorable volleyball tournaments in Europe? I want to hear some scandal.
Lol I had a few memorable tournaments, especially when I was single! I think there was a tournament in Budapest when we all drank some absinthe and there were a lot walks of shame the day after...
Speaking of “walking,” when you are grinding on the treadmill at the gym, what's playing heavy on your workout playlist?
Pfff I hate gym, I am trying to go more regularly but always find an excuse not to go...
Ok so when you are speed walking around London, what are you bumping to on Spotify?
I like to listen Katy Perry and also a lot of black gospel voices, like Aretha Franklin.... a bit of Cranberries and Radiohead, I'm very old school.
That’s not old school… that’s the Queen of Soul, early ‘90s alterna-rock and then… over manufactured contemporary pop, but I’ll shut up. You've played quite a few different positions in volleyball: setter, libero, outside, outside water bottle gurl... what's your favourite position and why?
I am usually easy-going but prefer being outside player because you can spike (hit the ball to get rid of your frustration) and defend. Occasionally I like being setter, although I don’t think I am really good at it...
You've been with the Spikers club for quite some time. Tell us what's changed the most from your perspective. No need to hold back here.
I think nothing has really changed. I can see the same people 10 years ago lol but just a little older! Same moaning, bitching and fun times. I am nostalgic of my Sunday sessions at the spreadEagles it was quite fun back in the day (I am talking like an old man...). We used to have DJs and we were staying super late getting very drunk!
Outside of volleyball and the J.O.B., what else do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I read a lot of fantasy books, visit architecture and design exhibitions, cinema, and travel when I can!
It's the year 2045... where do you see yourself and do we still have an ozone layer?
In a sunny destination, recovering from my prostate cancer probably still traveling a lot, who knows... Id like to think we can always start a new career have new challenges at any age...
What have you learned from playing in an organised sports team? What can you apply from your volleyball life to your non-volleyball life?
Omg, very serious question! I think Volleyball is the epitome of being part of a team. You have one player not performing then everyone has to help otherwise you will always lose... It is a very psychological game as well, it forces you to stay mentally strong.
In your 10 years in the club, share with us your top 3 memories or highlights of being a Spiker? They can be from training, from social events or in any other context really.
A very cute moment: we had a long session at the SpreadEagles as Sidney was celebrating his birthday. He got very drunk but his boyfriend Tim actually helped him vomit in the toilet. I thought it was very cute, Tim was really supportive saying "Come on babe, you can do it"
One tournament in Warsaw was very fun. we were at that time hosted by a Polish guy who welcomed us with a massive a glass of vodka (half vodka half tonic water). I don’t remember all the details but he helped us wake up in the morning with 2 pain killers each lol
Being a team rep: I still remember those long meetings where everyone was giving their grievances. It is a very ungrateful position (that people perform for free). Once I received an email from a casual player on Sunday telling me that I "didn’t handle the situation in a professional manner". I found it hilarious. Come on bitch I'm not paid to do that shit!!
Gurl Preach! Ok that’s all for now.