Isabelle and Gérald Berger, a committed sports couple

Isabelle and Gérald are among the SNG’s most loyal and passionate volunteers.
Involved in numerous events organized by the club, they have been passionately involved in the BCGE Tour du Léman à l’Aviron for some thirty years! Isabelle and Gérald first took part in the “Tour du lac” – its original name – in the 1980s, before becoming volunteers.
They met through sport, and became members of La Nautique at the same time, in the 1980s.
Isabelle was rowing at university, which led her to join the club, while Gérald was a sports teacher.
On their first Tour du lac, the Berger couple teamed up with Stéphane Trachsler, the then 17-year-old president of the organizing committee!
” I remember our first Tour,” says Isabelle. ” We left at 2pm and arrived at 9am the next morning.
They were waiting for us with croissants. “Back then, the start was at 2:00 p.m. because ” there used to be school on Saturday mornings and it was too hot, so we rowed in armed sea yawls on the point,” Gérald recalls. Then the schedule was changed for safety reasons, so that we could row as much as possible during the day. Isabelle and Gérald took part in the Tour three or four times, they don’t really remember.” Once, we rowed an 8-man skiff,” Gérald recalls. ” It was with Rowing de Lausanne; they were two people short, so we joined them.
We were out of our league, but it was a great experience! ” During our second participation, a team of runners completed the tour of the lake in parallel with our race,” adds Isabelle. ” Ferdinand Le Comte, mayor of Présinges at the time, took part in this race on foot; he had rowed the Tour the previous year.
He must be the only person to have completed the Tour du Lac on land as well as on water! “Members of the club for over 40 years, the Berger couple were initially members of the rowing section, but are now part of the sailing section; Gérald is also a member of the propeller.
Both have sailed extensively on different types of craft, and Gérald competed in several Bol d’Or races as far back as the 60s.
Today, the Berger couple supervise the passage of competitors through Le Bouveret.
Isabelle checks the boats’ equipment in the morning before the start, while Gérald accompanies the race to Versoix with one of the members of the international jury.
Both are on the job from early morning until late evening.
” We love the lake,” concludes Isabelle. ” And we love the team spirit on the Tour.
It’s a continuity: as long as Stéphane is there, we’ll be there too.
I should also add that it’s an extraordinary competition! .