Kingson Royals Rise From The Ashes

By John Singleton

From the ashes comes victory. That’s what they believe over at the Kingson Royals Baseball Program. Since its inception in 2004 the Christian faith-based youth ministry has served over 400 children with its Pasadena-based baseball program. Their home field sits on a former fly-ash landfill on what is now called Brandon Woods Park.

 “The Constellation Energy plant used to bury its fly-ash right here,” explained Gary Bierc, co-founder and president of the Kingson Royals, as he stood at the center of a well manicured diamond just off Solley Road. “Today, they have a new clean coal smokestack and they truck off the residual dust to make drywall for the housing industry.”

The Kingson Royals have literally built their program from scratch into one of the most competitive youth baseball programs in Anne Arundel County. The Christian organization is based on the vision of its founders, Gary Bierc and Steve Fowler. In an act of faith, both men wanted to reach out to the community with a new kind of youth sports program that would combine Christian values and competitive baseball. Their goal was, and is still today, to create an environment for children to grow mind, body, and soul on the baseball diamond.

“Make no mistake, the Royals travel teams play serious competitive sports, but we try our best not to burden the players beyond what is necessary,” added Bierc a Pasadena resident. “As the athletes get older their responsibilities to the team and to themselves grow and expand.”

Along the way they’ve had to scrap and save for fields, uniforms and equipment. In the spring of 2005, they began with two baseball teams - fielding 8U and 13/14U squads. In 2006, they expanded the program to cover the 9/10U, 11/12U and 13/14U age brackets. In 2007, the baseball ministry more than doubled to 7 teams in the 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, and 16U age brackets.

Last summer Gary Bierc took a 12U team to Cooperstown, NY, to play at the Baseball Hall of Fame and his Royals surprised some of the best competition in the United States, finishing with a 6-2 record.

“We seeded 24th out of 104 outstanding teams, including squads from Florida and Texas,” said Bierc, whose 12U team has won a variety of tournaments over the years. “We’ve come along way in six years. It’s truly amazing.”

This spring Bierc’s 14U team is 12-5-2 in tournament play and plans to start their Mickey Mantle schedule in June. At the Annapolis Open on March 19, the Royals trounced the highly ranked Sykesville Cyclones, 9-5, before squaring off against the Pasadena Eagles for local bragging rights. The hotly contested rivalry ended up in an 8-8 standoff.

“It was early in the season. The boys were just getting comfortable with each other,” recalled Bierc. “We made some mistakes, and the Eagles made some clutch plays. Whenever we play one of Archie Carr’s Pasadena Eagles teams we know we’re in for a fight. Archie is a fine coach.”

Today, the Royals continue to practice at Brandon Woods Park, Solley Park, and Freetown Park. The unlikely program has risen from the ashes to prove it can compete with the best. In 2011, the Kingson Royals continue to serve the local community with a brand new 90-foot diamond and it plans to refurbish an existing T-ball/Coach Pitch field for its recreational program.