Our Team
The Launchpad crew shares a couple things in common: our connection to Toledo and our fanatical obsession with tennis. Even after long days of teaching, you’ll see us drilling, filming, and competing. The passion we have for the game translates into every class we offer. We love to help others improve and are committed to our students’ success!
Director of Tennis
Cole Shoults
Launchpad Tennis is pleased to announce that Cole Shoults has rejoined the club as its new Director of Tennis and Partner! Cole will oversee and further develop junior and adult tennis courses, create new opportunities that build on Launchpad’s vision, and manage all Launchpad programming at the Toledo Tennis Club (TTC) over the Summer.
Cole should be a familiar face to many in the Launchpad and TTC Community. He was with us from the beginning, teaching alongside Zach Barden at TTC during Summer of 2020, and continued to serve as a Launchpad Top Pro once we secured our indoor location and through May of 2022.
Cole played for the University of Toledo Men’s Tennis Team from 2018-2022, working his way up the lineup to play first and second singles and doubles, competing in a national-level Division I schedule, and captaining the team from 2020-2022.
UT Men’s Head Coach Al Wermer was excited to learn of his return, enthusiastically commenting that Cole is “easily one of the best leaders I’ve had in twenty-five plus years at UT. He is authentic, thoughtful and resilient. He knows the stages of elite player development, fitness protocols, and the mental game.”
After taking a degree in Biochemistry from UT in 2022, Cole coached at Gooding Todero Academy in Orlando, FL, where he trained under current ATP/WTA coaches and worked with top USTA/ITF juniors. Launchpad sure is lucky to have him back!
Cole is pumped to get back to his Launchpad roots as well, noting “I have a special connection with Launchpad and the City of Toledo so I am honored to be rejoining the Launchpad Family. I plan to commit myself wholeheartedly to the development of Launchpad players and its fantastic community.”
Head Pros
Jeff Harst
Jeff has a long and impressive tennis resume. At age 17, he became tennis director of his hometown, Norwalk, OH, leading all city tennis programming and staff. At 19 he completed his USPTA professional certification.
Jeff went on to attend BGSU where earned a BS in Education, specializing in Recreation Administration and Sports Management.
Jeff has since taught in the Toledo area since 1992, incidentally the same year Grammy winner LL Cool J released his seminal album Mama Said Knock You Out. In parallel to LL’s career, Jeff has been knocking it out on the tennis court and otherwise ever since:
Current Director of Tennis at Sylvania Country Club
Previous Director of Tennis and Paddle at the Orchard Lake Country Club
Current Ottawa Hills Girls High School Coach
Two-time AAU Olympic Gold Medal Coach for 14’s and 18’s
Creator of the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MIXER EVER, the “Harst Cup”
Proud father of sons Colton and Braxton
Lisa Bialorucki
Lisa aka “LB” has been teaching tennis in the Toledo area for over 30 years! LB loves working with adults and juniors of all ages and levels. She is Tennis #BOSSLADY at Inverness during the outdoor season and Launchpad’s co-head pro for the indoor season!
When LB's not heading up tennis programming at Inverness, you can find her with the Central Catholic Varsity Girls’ Tennis Team, where she has coached for over 20 seasons!
As a student at Central Catholic, Lisa qualified for states in both tennis and basketball, and played both singles and doubles at The University of Toledo. LB’s coaching philosophy is athletics should be FUN, educational, and provide a great experience. LB’s dedication, patience and kindness has yielded impressive results:
2004 National Championship 10.0 Mixed Doubles Team
Member of the Central Catholic Hall of Fame
Toledo City Athletic League Hall of Fame
TRAC Coach of the Year 2016, 2017 and 2018
City League Coach of the Year 2001, 2009 and 2010
Top Pros
Connor Majdalani
Coach Connor brings a wealth of teaching experience with him having been an instructor at clubs all over the Toledo metropolitan area, and now the best one, Launchpad Tennis!
Ever the sporting fellow, he took a degree in Sport and Event Management from the University of Findlay in May 2016. Connor had an outstanding career as a tennis player at both St. John’s Jesuit High School and the University of Findlay.
Always clutch under pressure, he was the deciding point for both St. John’s Team State Championship, and the University of Findlay in the best finish it has had in years (Finals of the GLIAC).
Connor is happily married to his wife Kelsey. In his spare time, he enjoys playing in USTA Leagues, golfing and platform tennis.
Matt Damschroder
Matt is a constant source of encouragement and guidance for all our Launchpad students. He has dedicated his career to helping young people and is fully invested in their success on and off the court.
Matt has been the head coach of Start High School’s tennis program for the past 15 years, meanwhile serving as an instructor of USTA Red and Orange Ball and YMCA/JCC tennis for more than a decade.
Outside of tennis, Matt works as a teacher in Toledo Public Schools. He also provides affordable before-and-after school programming for kids with an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise. His was the first in the TPS System to implement tennis instruction into such programs.
Matt serves as director of our compression ball courses and runs adult beginner clinics.
Cassie Alcala
Coach Cassie specializes in training our most advanced junior players. She’s in a great position to do so, having been a five star recruit and ranked 68th nationally by tennisrecruiting.net not so long ago!
Cassie currently plays number 1 Singles on the University of Toledo’s Women’s Tennis Team and is a six-time MAC Player of the Week Honoree, 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year, 2022 MAC Player of the Year, 2023 MAC Co-Player of the Year, and three-time First-Team All-MAC Selection!
Aside from collecting collegiate accolades, you can also find Cassie competing in various amateur and professional tournaments. Most recently she won the ITA Summer Circuit women's open singles draw of the 2023 ITA Tennis-Point Summer Circuit Powered by WTN hosted by Cracked Racquets in Forville, IN (that was a mouthful!), and made it to the quarter finals in the UTR Pro Tennis Tour $25K Ann Arbor Women’s tournament!
Cassie is a senior at UT majoring in Human Resource Management with a minor in Marketing. When Cassie’s not studying, coaching or competing, Cassie enjoys intense training and drilling with her coach, Launchpad’s Director of Tennis Cole Shoults.
Tristan Uribes
Coach Tristan’s tennis journey began when he was 14 years old as a way to get active and has grown into a love and passion for the game. He played for Wauseon High School all 4 years and qualified for the OHSAA State tournament his senior year!
Tristan is currently attending Bowling Green State University for a degree in Management & Technology and is the President of the BGSU Club Tennis Team which travels all over the country!
Tristan’s students include beginner and intermediate junior and adult players.
In his free time Tristan feels the need, the need for speed, in single engine piper archers. He’s set to launch, having clocked over 210 flying hours
Chairman
Dan Barden
Chairman & Co-Founder of Launchpad, Dan, handles legal, finance, operations, systems, and whatever else at Launchpad as needed.
Dan took both a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. Dan started out as an M&A / Private Equity / Vulture Fund / Venture Capitalist lawyer at big firms in NYC and Silicon Valley, and maintains an active law practice in Brooklyn, NY, but gets better sleep now.
In Loving Memory of Zach Barden
Launchpad Founder and Director of Tennis Zach Barden tragically passed away November 8, 2022.
His family has formed the Zacharias Barden Legacy Foundation, through the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, with the goal of supporting good works in the areas of his passions, including improving tennis and fitness opportunities for community members..
To the many people throughout the world who knew and loved Zach, the news of his passing was shocking and heartbreaking. He was kind, funny, energetic, and genuine in all his interactions. He will be remembered and missed with love forever.