JACKSON TWP — To strike or not to strike is one question; to coach or not to coach is another.

With the impending strike in the Seneca Valley School District set to begin on Monday, the fall sports teams will go on as scheduled.

According to the school's Web site, www.svsd.net, "all extra curricular activities and athletics, including practices and games, will continue as scheduled until further notice."

That being said, "each coach has the right to make the decision whether to coach or not," said Seneca Valley athletic director Greg Caprara.

"People who perform duties like game manager can still decide not to cross the picket line, but those duties are not included in the contract.

"At the junior varsity, ninth-grade, eighth- and seventh-grade levels ... all of those coaches have the right to make their own decision to coach or not. ... At the elementary level, most coaches are dads and those teams shouldn't be affected by a strike," Caprara added.

Some sports, such as boys soccer, girls golf and girls tennis, will conclude their seasons before the strike date.

The bigger they are

The fall sports coaches at Seneca Valley had varying views on the strike's effect on the programs.

The team with the most varsity coaches is football, and head coach Ron Butschle, who is an English teacher at the intermediate high school, said he will stay with his team.

Butschle has eight assistants, two of whom are employed by the school district.

"The other coaches who are employed by the school district, which includes two of our assistants and the coaches at the junior varsity, ninth-grade and eighth-grade teams, I can't make this decision for them," said Butschle. "Each man has to make his own decision.

"The strike will not affect football," Butschle added. "I'm going to coach. ... I've made it clear where I stand. And there's been very little contact with me over the last few weeks. I'm in the dark."

Now in his fourth season at SV, Butschle has guided the Raiders to a respectable 3-3 overall record. The team is 1-1 in the conference and vying for a possible playoff berth.

"It's not a comfortable decision to make, but I've asked a whole lot out of these kids over the last few years, and my loyalty lies with them,"Butschle said.

Not alone

Butschle isn't the only coach who is willing to cross the picket line.

Boys golf coach Steve Mayes, a physical education teacher at the high school, has seen this before. He was an employee at Seneca Valley when the teachers went on strike in 1985.

"I believe it lasted for six weeks, so I've been through this before, and it's not fun," said Mayes, whose golf team won the section and is preparing for the upcoming team playoffs.

"I don't see a strike impacting the golf team. I'm still going to coach. The way I see it, we are in the WPIAL team semifinals Tuesday and, if we're lucky enough to get through that, the finals are Thursday and our season will be over."

Girls soccer coach Dave Sylvester, who is not employed by the district, has tried to keep things as normal as possible for his players, who will appear in the upcoming WPIAL playoffs.

"They're aware of it and know it's part of their life," said Sylvester. "Does it affect how they'll play? No. They're handling it well."

And if he was employed by the school, would he still coach?

"Yeah, because ultimately, you're there for the kids," he said.

Volleyball coach Karen Martini, a stay-at-home mom who does have a teaching degree, said she will be without her junior varsity coach if there is a strike.

Her other assistant, a non-school employee, will not be affected by the walkout.

"We have the height of our season coming up, and I don't think with my team it's affected them," said Martini. "For the seniors, they'll think about school and college plans and they won't be able to get their transcripts from the guidance office.

"Myself and my first assistant, we're not employed, so I assured them not to worry," she added.

What if?

With the seasons of three teams concluded or scheduled to wrap up this weekend, the question about whether to coach or not was moot. But what if their seasons had gone longer?

Jason Shorr, who has taught art and has coached girls tennis at the high school for nine years, closed out his team's season on Wednesday.

"To tell you the truth, I was not completely decided yet," said Shorr. "My assistant is not a member of the union, so he might have filled in.

"I wouldn't have coached, but we would have worked something out. It's a kind of situation where the athletes have to get their experience,"Shorr added.

Girls golf coach Lynn Wagner is employed by the school district as a physical education teacher at the intermediate high school.

"If I was in that situation, I would have to make a decision based on the circumstances at that time. And since it's not relative to me because our season is over, I can't give an answer," she said.

While the cross country teams are still going strong in preparation for the upcoming WPIAL and PIAA finals, coach Jim Nagle would not comment on the strike, but did sympathize with all parties involved.

"I feel very badly for the community," said Nagle, an art teacher in the district. "I don't have to deal with it on a daily basis, but for the kids and teachers, I feel awful."

A sense of normalcy

A lot can happen before Monday, and a tentative deal before the close of the weekend would benefit everyone.

"I don't think that a strike is inevitable," said Mayes. "A strike has been called for Monday, but I hope they go back to the bargaining table and get something worked out."

"I hope that somehow they get this resolved," said Butschle. "If there's no strike, I'll be teaching three speech classes and three world literature classes on Monday and then going to practice.

"But if there is a strike, we're still going to practice. I'm going to try and keep everything as normal as possible for the kids," he added.