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 of Academy Development

Sebastian Torrealba

Sebastian is a former college tennis player for Indiana University East where he graduated in 2022 with a degree in Business. As a junior Sebastian trained at world renowned tennis academies and competed on the ITF Junior Circuit earning an impressive Junior World ranking of 1207.

At Launchpad, Sebastian uses his background in business and expertise in tennis to oversee our high performance program. As the head of Academy Development, Sebastian manages the programming and administration to give players the best opportunity to succeed in competitive tennis. Sebastian’s knowledge and passion for the game has been instrumental in the growth of Launchpad’s flourishing junior program.

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

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.

Ali Merhi

Coach Ali first picked up a racket at age 7 and hasn’t put it down since! He has over 25 years of coaching and playing experience, and competed at the highest levels of his home Country Lebanon. Ali was an assistant coach for Lenanon’s National Davis Cup Team and led top academies and resorts in Lebanon before bringing his talents to the U.S. in 1999.

One of his proudest achievements? Four years volunteering with the Special Olympics at the American University of Beirut, traveling the world and coaching with heart.

When Ali’s not on court at Launchpad Tennis, you might find him in the kitchen. He’s also the founder of Rockets Café, located just down the road from Launchpad at 2023 N Reynolds Road! Tennis, teamwork, and passion are his constants, and he brings all three to every lesson and group class!

Manager / Dragon Slayer

Connor Kleinschmidt

Connor is a wizard at Launchpad. His specialties know no bounds. You can find him flying all over the club. Whether he’s helping someone at the desk or down on the courts teaching the next generation of tennis pros, you can guarantee he has a positive attitude and is ready to help in any situation!

Connor is a graduate of Northview High School and a former junior player at Launchpad. He has taken this knowledge on court to coach our Red, Orange, Green and Yellow Ball the FUNdamentals of Tennis. He is also the manager of our front desk team!

More often than not, Connor is at the desk or around the grounds ensuring that Launchpad looks marvelous. He takes great pride in maintaining a great looking lounge and tennis courts.

Chief Executive Middling 3.0 USTA Player

Dan Barden

CEO & 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 2025, Dan won the Toledo Tennis Club Championship in four (4) divisions: 3.0 Singles, 3.0 Doubles, 6.0 Mixed and 8.0 Mixed. He also managed to LOSE an impressive THIRTY THREE (33) USTA League Matches in 2025. Stay Humble.

Launchpad Players Promoted to Pros!

Catherine Rhegness

Catherine (“Cat”) is currently an NCAA Division I Tennis Player at the University of Toledo, where she is studying Accounting.

Cat has trained at Launchpad since we first opened back in 2020. As a junior player, Cat was recognized as All Ohio First Team making it to states all 4 years and placing 4th in singles her Junior Year and 4th in doubles her Senior Year. Her first year competing as a Toledo Rocket she posed a 15-3 record and was recognized as MAC Player of the Week.

Cat is passionate about working with young athletes and finds fulfillment in helping players grow both on and off the court. She loves seeing kids improve, gain confidence, and reach milestones through consistent effort and guidance.

Driven by her own experiences in competitive tennis, Cat is eager to share her knowledge of the game while fostering a positive, supportive environment that encourages hard work, discipline, and a lifelong love for tennis.