School: Central Bucks South
Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Mike Richards
Favorite team: Flyers
Favorite memory competing in sports: “Beating our sister schools for the first time in our school’s history.”
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: “Any time spent with the girls on the lacrosse team, one particular time involving the bathroom, a bush and the boys’ track team.”
Music on iPod: Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, DMB
Future plans: “Graduate from college and law school, get a job in government, build a family and have fun.”
Words to live by: “No regrets!”
One goal before turning 30: “To vacation in Tuscany”
One thing people don’t know about me: “I’m afraid of squirrels.”
Deanna Giorno appeared destined to become a star in the pool. Until a knee injury brought a premature end to her swimming career.
That devastating development – Giorno was diagnosed with kneecap subluxation - turned out to be the springboard that allowed the Central Bucks South senior to commit her time and energy to a new sport that had become her passion.
“I was devastated when I stopped swimming, but at the same time, I was really kind of relieved that I could focus more on lacrosse,” Giorno said.
The senior tri-captain is one of the area’s top goal scorers with 44, and she has scored in every game.
“She’s got really quick moves to goal,” coach Janique Craig said. “When she comes down on the fastbreak, she’s really tough to slow down.
“She can just get past you, and she wants to score.”
Scoring goals, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Giorno is a natural leader and has been the recipient of the Coach’s Award – voted on by the varsity players – every year since she was a freshman.
“She’s a phenomenal leader,” Craig said. “I’ll tell her, ‘I might be five minutes late to practice. Get the shuttles ready,’ and when I get there, everyone is focused and intense.
“She’s very reliable on and off the field, and she’s very organized. I put a lot of responsibility on her because she’s very mature, and she really steps to the plate when I ask her to.”
Craig describes Giorno as a ‘mini-coach.’
“It’s great,” the Titans’ coach said. “Especially since I’m not a teacher, I have to be sure communication is very good on my team because I’m not in the classroom, so I rely on my captains a lot.
“All of them – Giorno, Taylor Lucas and Natalie Rube - are great, which is why they’re captains.”
Giorno takes those leadership qualities into the classroom.
From her days of serving as vice president of her freshman class at Tamanend Middle School to this year serving as a member of South’s Student Council for the third straight year, Giorno is actively involved in school life. As a junior, she was president of Key Club, and this year, she is secretary and a third-year board member of that club as well.
“I have something going on all the time or else I get bored,” Giorno said.
On the lacrosse field, the Titans are off to an 11-3 start after winning just four games last year. Craig admits she knew she had inherited a special talent when Giorno stepped onto the field as a ninth grade, and by mid-season, she was playing varsity.
“She just had that feistiness and that competitive drive that you can’t teach,” the Titans’ coach said. “All it comes down to is stick skills, and that’s simple to teach.”
Giorno got her first taste of lacrosse when she was in fifth grade. Back then, she opted to play simply because all of her friends were doing it.
“We actually loved it,” she said. “By the time I was in high school, it became more of a primary sport than a secondary sport.”
Swimming, however, was still front and center.
At the age of 12, Giorno, who has been swimming since she was four, began competing for the U.S. Team as a member of Spirit Swimming. She also swam for the Warrington Swim Club, which is now the Mary Barness Tennis and Swim Club.
“I was doing two-a-days in the summer,” she said. “During the winter, I would go right from C.B. South practices to my U.S. team practices, and I would do morning practices at South. I spent a lot of time doing that.”
The knee injury occurred when Giorno was a freshman.
“When I kicked and did flip turns in the water – what happens is I hyper-extend my knee, and my kneecap comes out of place,” she said.
Giorno officially gave up swimming when she was a junior, and although her knee still requires care and attention, lacrosse will remain an important part of her future. She will be playing next year at the University of Scranton.
“I thought I would be swimming at the University of Delaware, but instead, I’m playing lacrosse at the University of Scranton,” she said. “I’m still looking at Delaware for grad school. It’s always been my dream school, but I’m thrilled to be going to the University of Scranton, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be playing lacrosse.
“I cannot wait to begin that new chapter of my lacrosse career.”
At Scranton, Giorno – an excellent student - will major in political science with a pre-law focus and a minor in communications. She has her sights set on becoming either a politician or a broadcast journalist who covers politics.
Her interest in politics was sparked as a youngster.
“When we would go to swim meets that were three or four hours away, my dad or mom would always drive me, and my dad would always have on talk radio 1210 and political shows,” Giorno said. “I would just listen to it the entire car ride, so I got a lot of political information as a young kid, and I really got interested in it.
“Social studies was always one of my stronger subjects. I watch the news, I look up articles, so I figure why not get into a career in something I’m going to be interested in.”
Although she gave up swimming, Giorno has no trouble keeping busy.
In the fall, she is occupied with community service projects and Key Club activities. This spring, Giorno is coaching lacrosse with the Doylestown Athletic Association – a program that Craig initiated when she was growing up.
“I always encourage my girls to help out and give back to the lacrosse community,” Craig said. “Deanna’s been doing that since ninth grade. She’s just a great kid.”
The Titans are hoping their huge win over Pennridge recently is an omen of things to come as the post-season approaches.
“It felt so good,” Giorno said. “We had played them a dozen times in winter league, and they have been our number one rival.
“That was definitely one of the highlights.”
One of many highlights for a student-athlete who has gotten her money’s worth and then some out of her high school experience.
