About the Author              "Kenny Troiano"

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Biography

A Little About the Author, Kenny Troiano By Nancy Troiano Born in the fall of 1962, Kenny thus far has had a very full life, from the raising of gamefowl to the flying of experimental aircraft to playing baseball and golf at the professional level. Although this sounds like a eulogy of a sort, in reality it is by far not yet finished. In fact, it has only just begun. This is a small biography of my husband, Kenny Troiano, in which I am excited to share with others. However, the hard part has been trying to sum his life up in just a few pages, for Kenny’s life could fill a novel sized book. When he was just a young boy living in the city of El Cajon, California, he did some of the most outrageous things, from jumping roof to roof to jumping bikes ramp-to-ramp at long distances, not to mention a wide range of sports. Kenny’s life was never boring, and injuries were many. Eventually, his dad set him up with his first batch of chickens. It was not only a way to supply the family with eggs and meat, but also a way to keep Kenny busy and out of trouble and free of injuries, at least that was the hope. His first cock was a bird named Tumi. Although, this bird was not a gamecock, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Many a times that bird would chase Kenny's siblings down the street when provoked enough. Although, his first batch of chickens were a bunch of Rhode Island Reds, they sure had the fighting spirit! Nothing like a gamecock of course, but enough to get him interested in the sport of cockfighting. Once he saw the television miniseries “Roots” he knew immediately that gamefowl were the ideal birds to have, and his interest was further heightened. At that point he just had to have some gamefowl and would do what ever it took to get them. Once introduced to the sport he took it upon himself to learn everything he could on subjects such as the sport’s history, the evolution and development of the gamecock, and raising, breeding, and selection of high caliber fowl, so that he could reproduce them properly. Although, Kenny was interested in Gamefowl at an early age he was limited to how many he was able to keep. Kenny lived his childhood years in a neighborhood, and the city’s limitations and regulations only permitted him to have a couple of cocks and a handful of hens, just enough to bother the neighbors. However, when Kenny was in his early teens his family moved to the high desert mountains of Jamul, California, where they raised a number of animals, such as horses, cattle, pigs, goats, and yes gamefowl, all that his heart desired. So in moving to the open land, Kenny wasted no time in raising all he wanted. He always loved the country life, especially the farm life, so the countryside suited him just fine. However, as a young Italian boy, he was fascinated by a sport that was dominated by Filipino’s, Mexicans, and Southern Gents. For a while he felt out of place as he stood out from the rest. But soon found his position. While in high school, Kenny had his hands full with his birds, his chores around the farm, and playing baseball. He was eventually picked up by the San Diego Pirates, a minor league team. During that time, in the off season, Kenny had a job working as a cook in a Swedish restaurant. This is where we met. After being fast friends we soon fell in love and were married in the summer of 1983. We have been happily married for 23 years now. But after a few years of playing ball he realized that baseball was not going to be in the cards, and had to change his choice of careers. So he joined the Navy. He served with the “Strike-Fighter-Squadron VFA-25. They were an F/A-18 Hornet squadron based out of Lemoore, California. Being that they were the first squadron to receive and fly the Hornet, they were also the first to do a cruise with the F/A-18 aircraft, a “West-Pac.” Kenny saw many countries and developed many lasting memories; however, his wife and baby were forever on his mind. His heart was always back at home with his wife and baby daughter. For this reason Kenny decided not to continue his career in the Navy and decided to try his hand at professional golf. While growing up, baseball and golf where the choice of sports in his household. These were sports that his family lived and breathed, therefore, he was very good at both. As a promising young player, he thought he had a chance to do well at the professional level. He worked at the Singing Hills Country Club as a pro, and eventually picked up sponsors, two Doctors and a Insurance Company. They paid for everything, from his equipment to his travel expenses to memberships at a number of gyms. He played in tournaments all over the country, such as U.S.G.A., P.G.A. Opens, and Golden State Tour events. For a while life was good! In the summer of 1986 we were blessed with our second daughter, Samantha. However, after a number of years of playing golf tournaments, practicing every day until dark, and working in the pro shop giving lessons, it gave Kenny little time to be with his family. Something had to give. Therefore, Kenny decided to get back to the basics and what was really important in his life, which was his family. They made him feel good inside. So after a number of years competing in golf tournaments far and wide he decided to retire and spend time with his wife and two daughters. This is also when Kenny focused on doing what he also loved, the raising of gamefowl and living the country life. Knowing that the country was where his heart was, for the next few years Kenny found ways to get back to the country and the raising of gamefowl. No more city life for him! In 1989, Kenny bought a trio of the Col. Givens Hatch fowl. He had seen them perform many times, and knew those were the fowl to have. It wasn't long before the back yard was full of pens and Kenny was scratching his head about where all the space in the yard went. Kenny didn’t waist any time influencing his girls with his love for his fowl either. And it paid off too. Sammie has become a great cocker. And she has found a positive way to contribute back to the sport. We are so very proud of her. Through the years Kenny has had a number of hobbies to keep himself busy and his family entertained. He fly’s Ultralight Aircraft, rides motorcycles (dirt bikes), play’s golf on the weekends and softball for exercise, and raises his fowl. Kenny has become so good at flying Ultralight Aircraft that he is able to do aerial aerobatics such as: loops, barrel rolls, spins and hammerheads, and has become one of the top Ultralight pilot’s. Very few people are able to perform aerobatics in an Ultralight Aircraft, and at times he and his buddies perform “Air Shows” for family and friends. Although we have lost a few friends through the years from air mishaps, over all we have had a good time. A company called Hurricane Aircraft hired him, and he worked there building and flying aircraft for them, and was in charge of all the video promotional projects that were needed for the company. Eventually, they sold the company and moved to Oregon. Not wanting to move the family, he had to quit that job. This was very tough on him since he loved that job so much. Kenny soon put most of his attention into the raising and breeding of gamefowl, and after many years of hanging around some of the best cockers in the world, he soon found himself as the teacher instead of the student. In fact, it was only a couple of years ago when Kenny encouraged Samantha to begin writing for the Gamecock Magazine. And she did so until school began to take up too much of her time. It was at that time that Kenny began to write for the Gamecock Magazine himself, as just a fun thing to do, but as time went on he became very passionate about his writing. Always helping his fellow cockers improve, he found that writing for the Gamecock Magazine could reach and help more people. These days his work takes him deep into the night. Through the years, Kenny’s life has become more and more demanding. “I never seem to have enough time” he always said, and soon got a surprise. We were blessed with a bundle of joy, our third daughter, Tawny. She was born in the spring of 2003. Although now he has even less time, Tawny has been Kenny's greatest blessing since his other two girls were born. With more experience and a lot more patience, Kenny is enjoying every minute with his baby girl. Kenny and Tawny have a lot of fun together and they are perfect for each other. Although, she occupies most of his time, they sure have a blast together. With time demanding responsibilities in his life, it has grown harder and harder for Kenny to maintain his writing commitments. Nevertheless, with all the demands he still finds time to raise his fowl and write his articles, giving his readers wonderful information on the raising and breeding of American Gamefowl. Writing has been a very satisfying project for him. It gives him so much joy to be able to give back to a sport that has been so good to him. Kenny has not only loyally written for the magazine for five years, but is also a certified judge for the “American Game Fowl Society”, and is proud of it. Kenny is a great inspiration on many levels. He has not only taught me how to be better in sound and mind, but to have ambitions and fight to the end to accomplish them. I am very proud of my husband and feel honored to be able to tag along for the ride. As you can see, through the years, I have witness many amazing things, and even though he has lived an extraordinary life, I know one thing, and that is, he is far from done.

Hobbies

Ultralight Flying

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