Jan. 20—After Sam Flora's retirement from being the New Castle Area School District athletic director in November, numerous names were speculated to take over the position he held for 24 years.

Instead, New Castle got not one but two new athletic directors in Randy Raeburn and Robert Natale. Raeburn and Natale were hired at a meeting last month after an 8-0 vote.

Raeburn and Natale will be paid a pro-rated annual salary through June 30, of $9,500 with no benefits.

Raeburn has been the school district's athletic trainer and football equipment manager.

"Sam was a great athletic director. That's where I learned most of my stuff — being with him those 24 years," Raeburn said. "That's how I learned to do the job through him. He's a great mentor and a great teacher. I learned a lot from him."

Natale teaches special education at New Castle. Flora was named the new manager of The Rack Fitness Center, which helps the new athletic directors according to Natale.

"It's like you're filling in for a legend. He actually coached me when I played Pop Warner football and stuff. I grew up on the east side with the Floras and everything," Natale said. "I've been around Sammy for a long time, too, because I was at New Castle as long as he was. He got hired as The Rack manager so he's still working a little bit. I'm working with him and stuff. It always helps to have somebody you can ask if you don't know how to do something."

Raeburn and Natale are no strangers to each other.

"I've known Randy probably since high school. We won't mention how many years ago that was, but, I've been around Randy," Natale said. "He's been around New Castle as long as I have, so, I've known him probably 40 years I would say. We've had a relationship about 40 years I'd bet you."

"Bob and I went to school together. We've been together for 40-something years," Raeburn said. "I think it will be a great gel between him and I growing up. I was a trainer for part of the '82 team that he was on. Going through junior high and high school we knew each other."

Raeburn commented that the duo aren't, "really changing that much of," the athletic director role, adding, "The way it's been set up has ran very smooth. It's just staying on top of the job and being in contact with the coaches and the person that's in charge of the referees or umpires throughout the whole year. Especially baseball, it's probably one of the worst and softball because of the rain and snow and all of that. Basketball not so much."

Natale talked about what responsibilities he will have as co-athletic director and the benefit of working in the school building during the day, while Raeburn works in the afternoons/evenings.

"Because I coach basketball at Shenango with the girls I'm going to do the softball, the track, the baseball, I do bowling now," Natale said. "The spring sports will be more of mine. There's things during the day I can do because I'm at the school and he's not. We have certain things like it might be he has to go to the basketball game and I don't have to be. It's not like I'm going to say, 'Well I don't do that...call Randy.' I'm in the building, if you need something I'll do it during the day. We have certain days we kind of work together."

Raeburn said the responsibilities are split right down the middle for him and Natale.

"Bobby has certain sports he's going to cover," Raeburn said. "I have certain sports I'm going to cover. I do the transportation and getting the checks ready to pay the referees and scheduling out the bus and vans that teachers or other sports need to use.

"The biggest challenge, I would say, is just being on top and ahead of everything. Scheduling, transportation and confirming with other schools that we should be playing. Just confirming a week before the event actually happens. Sometimes there can be mistakes in the scheduling but making sure that everything is in line and on track."

Natale talked about his role as co-athletic director and what challenges he'll probably face.

"It's a lot of making the schedules for baseball, volleyball, making sure they have a bus for the bowling, making sure they have buses to go down to the rack for weight lifting and kind of setting that stuff up," Natale said. "I haven't done it yet but the biggest thing is — the weather around here is not the nicest so I would imagine there's going to be a lot of cancellations with baseball and softball and rescheduling and all of that. I think that's where it's going to be a little hard."

Luckily for Natale, he said he still has some time before spring sports begin to get acclimated to the position.