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<p>PITTSTON &#8212; When participants from Victory Sports get together for a party, it&#8217;s nothing but fun, music, laughter and love.</p><p>The group of adults with physical and/or mental challenges gathered Friday night for the eighth annual Christmas banquet at Mt. Carmel Hall.</p><p>Approximately 90 participants, families, caregivers and friends partied in style as they dined, rocked to music and received gifts from Victory Sports, Inc.</p><p>&#8220;We have so many kids &#8212; I call them kids but some of them are in their late 50s &#8212; playing sports,&#8221; parent Daryl Herman said. &#8220;We have 13 exceptionalities, with players being blind, autistic, wheelchairs, spina bifida and others.&#8221;</p><p>According to Herman, whose son Daryl participates in baseball, the league continues to get larger year-by-year. &#8220;We started with 18 to 20 kids and we are up to 90 now,&#8221; Herman said.</p><p>The athletes play in leagues such as bowling, basketball, and baseball and more. Basketball has been played at King&#8217;s College and West Side Tech and baseball is played at the West Pittston Little League.</p><p><strong>Person of the Year</strong></p><p>Fred DeSanto, Victory Sports, Inc. president, introduced a Person of the Year award for the first time at the beginning of the Christmas banquet.</p><p>Co-recipients of the Person of the Year Award went to Dan Berry, who has two children participating in Victory Sports, and Times Leader reporter Bill O&#8217;Boyle. Both men are Victory Sports board members.</p><p>&#8220;I thought it would be a good idea to have the awards,&#8221; DeSanto said.</p><p>&#8220;Dan Berry has been with us since 1991 and he&#8217;s done everything for us and when we went from Challenger (League) to Victory he stayed with us,&#8221; DeSanto added. &#8220;Bill O&#8217;Boyle, never really recognized for a lot of the things he did, this year raised $11,000 and I thought that was exceptional. They both deserve the award.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We do a lot with our participants and Victory is a quality program,&#8221; O&#8217;Boyle said. &#8220;We see the value Victory brings to the participants. We see them interact, become more social and they smile an awful lot.&#8221;</p><p>Erica Shields, of Swoyersville, and Rebecca Ritter, of Wilkes-Barre, are sports participants where their favorite sport is basketball. Both women have been playing for many years with Victory Sports.</p><p>&#8220;We are going to try to play baseball this year,&#8221; said Shields about the two playing in 2019. &#8220;We won&#8217;t play until June or July.&#8221;</p><p>Shields and Ritter enjoy attending the Christmas banquet each year. &#8220;I like dancing, singing and getting together with everyone,&#8221; Ritter said.</p><p>In addition to the annual Christmas banquet, Victory Sports, Inc. hosts Halloween and Valentine&#8217;s Day parties and a Prom Night in June each year.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s unbelievable,&#8221; Herman, described the night. &#8220;It&#8217;s my night out; every time we do something with this group, the parents have just as much fun as the kids, because we&#8217;re all in the same boat.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Richie Kossuth, left with microphone, recited &#8220;&#8216;Twas the Night Before Christmas&#8221; to the participants of Victory Sports League at the annual Christmas Banquet Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Richie Kossuth, left with microphone, recited &#8220;&#8216;Twas the Night Before Christmas&#8221; to the participants of Victory Sports League at the annual Christmas Banquet Friday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joey Hoffman sings &#8220;The Star-Spangled Banner&#8221; at the opening of the Victory Sports Christmas Party at Mt. Carmel Hall in Pittston on Friday night. Hoffman once sang the anthem at a RailRiders&#8217; game to a standing ovation.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Joey Hoffman sings &#8220;The Star-Spangled Banner&#8221; at the opening of the Victory Sports Christmas Party at Mt. Carmel Hall in Pittston on Friday night. Hoffman once sang the anthem at a RailRiders&#8217; game to a standing ovation.  </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Baseball standout and home run king, Gino Gratalo, 44, Avoca, and girlfriend Tiffanie Moska, 36, Avoca, show off their new Victory Sports jackets awarded at Friday night&#8217;s banquet. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Baseball standout and home run king, Gino Gratalo, 44, Avoca, and girlfriend Tiffanie Moska, 36, Avoca, show off their new Victory Sports jackets awarded at Friday night&#8217;s banquet. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">DJ Jack Bravyak leads the train around the Mt. Carmel Banquet Hall on Friday night to Christmas music. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Victory-Sports-Christmas-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>DJ Jack Bravyak leads the train around the Mt. Carmel Banquet Hall on Friday night to Christmas music. </caption3><photoCredit3>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Banquet also debuts Person of the Year award</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tony Callaio</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Victory Sports celebrates participants, families and caregivers at banquet