| Biography: |
Ron “Turk” Petracca has always found tremendous inspiration in sports and athletics, which has infiltrated nearly every aspect of his life. Turk has dedicated nearly all of his professional career to physically demanding occupations. Turk served in the Army as a guard for Former President Nixon's personal helicopter before deciding to join the Fairfax County Police Department. Turk was a Police Officer with the Fairfax County Police Department for twenty-two (22) years, and retired with the rank of Master Police Officer (MPO). From 1998 to 2005, Turk also worked as a Detective with the Fauquier County Sheriffs Office, in Fauquier, Virginia.
During his long tenure with the Fairfax County Police Department, Turk developed a passion for personal training, exercise, and nutrition. He became a certified trainer through the Kenneth Copper’s Aerobic Institute, and in 1984 he started competing in the World Police & Firefighters Game/Toughest Competitor Alive (TCA) circuit. The TCA is comprised of eight events; 5k run, 100 meter dash, 20 foot rope climb, obstacle course, bench press, pull ups, 100 meter swim, and 16lb shot put. Turk competed in the TCA State, International, and World venues every year, from 1984 through 2006, and he never finished less then third (3rd) in his age group! In 1989, he took home the Gold during the International Police Games, in Edmonton, Canada.
While competing in the TCA, Turk realized that the majority of the successful competitors were firefighters, creating a disproportionate number of firefighters claiming the TCA title as compared to those representing various police departments. Turk theorized that this may be due to inadequate physical fitness training opportunities for Police Officers. Therefore, in 1992 Turk originated, coordinated, and implemented the Fairfax County Fitness and Wellness Program, which provided officers the requisite work hours for physical fitness/training, a program still in use today.
Turk has since moved onto a new adventure; racing cars! This posed a different physical challenge for Turk, due to his extreme claustrophobia. He started out small by wearing his helmet around the house and when he first set foot into a car he found out the hard way that being tightly strapped in was an absolute necessity. Since Turk has only been racing for a few years, he'll be the first to admit that to date, he has had more mishaps then trophies. However, he has managed a few 3rd place finishes in his racing class, and continues to explore and develop in this new endeavor.
When he is not speeding around the race track, Turk volunteers his time visiting Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Assisted Living locations in the Manassas, Virginia area with his two Labradors, Kaptain and Krunch. The three team up as part of the organization, Manassas Therapy Dogs (MTD), dedicated to bringing comfort, friendly interactions, and heartfelt smiles to the residents of Manassas as only a dog could. Turk's only regret is that he hadn't discovered the MTD organization years ago!
|