It's tough being in the dark!

Bert James, a Ponty supporter of Welsh ancestry living in Pennsylvania, USA (aka “Pontydragon” of the ponty.net TerraceTalk forum) gives his account of being a frustrated fanatic from afar…

I hope you’re not tired of hearing from me. I never claimed to be a scribe, but I just hope I can put things in a different perspective, so you folks will NEVER take ‘The Pont’ for granted.

As some of you know, Scranton, Pennsylvania has no rugby whatsoever! No pro, semi-pro, amateur, U21, U18, U 12, U 10, Deaf, Women’s. Nothing. The standard fare of baseball, football and basketball dominate.

Think of what it’s like to spend a day in my shoes, as well as those of all the ex-pat Ponty supporters around the world.

Ponty’s playing at home. You can’t get a ticket (not that it would do you any good). You can’t watch on TV. You can’t listen on radio. Even if you could, there is no one to watch or listen with you. You don’t know what happened. No pints, in victory, or in defeat. You have nothing!

Thankfully, I can at least run to the computer, get the scores, check out a few opinions on TerraceTalk, and wait for the match report to follow.

Despite the barriers, I’ve hooked up with some remarkable people through the PRFC website and its message board, TerraceTalk. They’ve treated me like family, despite having never met and being separated by thousands of miles. Among the best: Owen Williams, Guto Davies, Rich Evans, Howard Thomas and Neil Shearer. Thankfully, they all have a “there are no stupid questions” philosophy!

I must admit, I did have two special rugby moments over here. I was at a barbeque at my son’s Godfather’s home, in mid-eastern Pennsylvania, with about 30 of my college mates. Of course, I wore my black Ponty KMC Final T-shirt. While knocking down a few pints, someone finally asked, “What’s with ‘Ponty’?”… and another, ”Yea, what’s with the shirt?” Then, the floodgates opened. To be in the U.S. and finally get to tell the tale of one of the most respected rugby clubs in all of Wales, was a real kick. It quite took a while (and a few more pints). But, in the end, they all really listened, seem to enjoy it, and appreciated my enthusiasm.

And, yes, I did go as a Ponty player to a Halloween party this year (lots of votes for best costume!).

If you have the opportunity, please go to the matches and support the boys often. Others can’t. And please, go on TerraceTalk and give us your thoughts on the match and players. For some of us, it’s all we have.

Bert James.