Geneva Softball League Bernie Tourney

Introduction

Bernie Tourney 2004 will take place on July 17, 18 at Higgs Field on the CERN Prévessin site. Participants will include six regular teams from the Geneva Softball League and an Italian team called Bob. They will be competing for the prized Bernie Plate, a hand-crafted trophy designed and constructed by local softball artist Paul Garritty.

Game Schedule

The complete schedule of game depends on seeds and can be found on the GSL Schedule Page. Games start at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday and last all day long. All preliminary games but the Finals are 45 minutes / 5 innings. Seeding for Sunday is based on Saturday's results, average beer consumption, and the alignment of the stars with the BBQ grill. The Final will be a 7 inning game with no time limit. Home/Away for every game will be determined by a coin toss.

Saturday, July 17

      11:00    Quarks vs. Mission
      12:00    Old Spice vs. Rowdies
      13:00    BOB vs. Leptons
      14:00    ILO vs. Old Spice
      15:00    Rowdies vs. BOB
      16:00    Mission vs. ILO
      17:00    Leptons vs. Quarks
      

Sunday, July 18

      11:00    Quarks vs. ILO
      12:00    BOB vs. Old Spice
      13:00    Leptons vs. Winner Game 1
      14:00    Rowdies vs. Winner Game 2
      15:00    Mission vs. Winner Game 3
      16:00    Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
      

Food and Drink

Grills are available on the CERN site. Participants are asked to please bring their own grillables, although there may be some extra if you forget. Ice cold beverages will be on sale cheap. No need to bring your own.

This year, the event conicides CERN Hardronic Festival, which will take place in the adjacent field on Saturday, July 17, starting at 16:00. Food and drink can be purchased Saturday evening on the festival site.

A volleyball net will be set up next to the field and there will be a bouncy castle for the kids. There is also plenty of space for picnics and other activities. Players are encouraged to bring their friends and family.

Map of Higgs Field located the CERN site in Prévessin, France.

Map and Directions

Higgs Field is located on the CERN site in Prévessin, France. A map locating the field can be found here.

Information on hotels in the region can be found at the CERN Housing web site. The closest hotels are in St. Genis and Ferney-Voltaire.

About Bernie

The Bernie Tourney is a festive celebration of softball, organized to honor the memory of Bernard Sutton, the founding father of CERN Softball and one of the key organizers of the Geneva Softball League. Bernie helped to build and run the PS, SPS and LEP colliders during his long and colorful career as an accelerator engineer at CERN. His contributions to both CERN and the CERN Clubs were countless. The Softball Club salutes Bernie the only way we know how: On the field and at the BBQ grill!

Parking/Safety Rules

There is plenty of parking next to the field. It is safer to park directly behind the fence then next to it. If you are afraid of your car getting hit by a softball, it is recommended to park in the restaurant parking lot. CERN does not accept responsibility for damage or injury caused by normal softball play (including home runs).

Families are welcomed and, in fact, encouraged to show up. Parents, however, are asked to take care that children and other small domestic animals, stay clear of the playing field, to prevent injury. Thank you.