Kate Schubert Sturman

            Kate Schubert Sturman developed into a solid post player for the Upper

Kate Schubert Sturman

Perkiomen girls basketball team. She excelled at scoring in the paint and rebounding.

            However, her focus on the low post wasn't a personal choice. According to Sturman the Indians head coach, who happened to be her father, forbade her from taking 3-point shots while she was in ninth grade. 

"I was not good at dribbling, and I got nervous whenever I had the ball," said Sturman, a three-sport standout who graduated in 1994.

            Though the 5-foot-9 center converted the only 3-point shot she took during a four-year career for the Indians, she provided an invaluable interior presence for the Indians. Sturman led them to three consecutive appearances in the Pioneer Athletic Conference title game.

            The Tribe played Lansdale Catholic all three seasons. In 1992, the team posted a 48-41 victory. Sturman said she'll never forget the feeling of celebrating in the Pottstown High School gymnasium. 

            "It was so stressful," said Sturman, who was forced to watch the end of the game from the bench after fouling out. "It was so incredibly exciting. I remember jumping around and holding hands with the girls."

            As a senior, she led the Indians back to the conference title game, as well as a berth in the PIAA Class 4A tournament. Sturman was named First-team All-Conference, averaging 15.3 points a game. She scored a team-high 368 points and accumulated 93 offensive rebounds, 79 defensive rebounds - averaging 7.9 per game, 58 steals and 15 assists.

            Sturman, who was recruited to Alvernia College, outside Reading, to play basketball, also played field hockey and softball as a freshman. She gave up softball after one year.

            In three seasons with the Crusaders basketball team, she averaged 12.1 points per game. Sturman says her intensity level spiked when the competition shifted from practice to games.

            "You could say I was almost lazy in practice," she said. "During a game, I become a different player."

            Late in her junior season during a Friday night practice, Sturman suffered a career-ending knee injury. She underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.  "Sports was everything to me," she said. "It's like a family. I loved the relationships I made and the accolades we won for each other."

            Sturman has continued playing softball in a recreational league. She occasionally plays pickup basketball.  "You would think my dribbling and shooting would improve," Sturman said. "But it hasn't."

            A resident of the east coast of Florida, 34 miles north of Daytona Beach, she has been employed by the Flager County School District since 2005. She currently teaches language arts and social studies to fifth graders at Rymfire Elementary School.

            According to Sturman, one of her top priorities is developing her students' passion for reading. She often reads novels aloud as they follow with their own texts.

            "Seeing my students learn is the most rewarding joy I can receive," said Sturman, who was selected as the Flagler County Teacher of the Year 2018

Jason DiDonato

            One of Jason DiDonato's final experiences with competitive baseball came on a statewide stage. In early August of 1994, he competed in the Pennsylvania American

Jason DiDonato

Legion All-Star game in Harrisburg. Scouts from all 28 Major League teams determined him to be among the top 50 prospects in the commonwealth.

            DiDonato, who went 0-for-3 at the plate and played right field for the East in a 14-4 victory over West at Riverside Stadium, decided not to play a second season at a junior college in the Florida panhandle in Florida. He was contemplating enrolling locally, perhaps at DeSales University.

            In the fall, DiDonato attended baseball tryouts at Shippensburg University. However, he gave up the game after one day.  "I didn't see a future in it, so I hit the books," DiDonato said.

            The Red Hill native earned a bachelor's degree in business administration at Shippensburg. For several years, he worked as an estimator and project manager out of Plymouth Meeting. Six months ago, he moved to Vermont, where he currently works in a similar role for a family-owned business just north of Burlington. 

            "The move has turned out for the best," said DiDonato, a 1993 graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School. "I'm looking to get back into skiing."

            Growing up, DiDonato described himself as very competitive. In high school, he stood out on the football and baseball fields.  DiDonato considered football his favorite sport. He played quarterback and safety for the Indians.  "I didn't have the height or weight to play at the next level," he said.

            On the diamond, DiDonato started and played center field and worked hard to be his best for the high school team and Perkiomen Post 184. His foot speed helped allow to become the first player from the American Legion team to reach the final All-Star game and be selected to represent the Pioneer Athletic Conference in the Carpenter Cup. 

            "That was very important to me," said DiDonato, who earned a conference sportsmanship award as a junior. "I was a pretty good hitter."

            After graduating from high school, DiDonato joined the baseball team at Chippola College, a two-year school in Marianna, Florida. He described the schedule as demanding and the competition as challenging. 

            "The pitching was tough," said DiDonato, who played regularly in left field. "It was a great opportunity to play with some really good players."

            He played only one season of basketball for the Tribe, as a ninth grader. DiDonato said his greatest contributions in the sport were his defensive effort and tenacity.  "I have nothing but good memories," he said. "They were the best days of my life."

            DiDonato, who lives in a rural community along the New York state border south of Burlington, says his closest neighbor is five miles away. He plays basketball in a recreational men's league and tennis once or twice a week.

            "I score a whole lot more on the basketball court than I used to," DiDonato said. "I have no reservations about putting up a shot."