Our Coaches
After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Michigan State University, Jim headed to Ann Arbor to get his Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan. While in school, Jim worked as an intern in the Strength & Conditioning Program in U-M’s Athletic Department. During that time, he also served as the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Holt High School and worked as a personal trainer at the Michigan Athletic Club in East Lansing. After graduate school, Jim was hired as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Detroit Mercy. While at UDM, Jim was a part of numerous league championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in a variety of sports. In addition to coaching responsibilities at the university, he also served as an adjunct faculty member teaching courses in Sports Medicine. After seven years at the university, Jim joined forces with Total Sports Complex to open the Total Performance Training Center in August of 2002.
Jim is also the President of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA.org) where he helps to educate trainers around the world on how to properly develop young athletes. Jim was the regional Coordinator for the National Strength & Conditioning Association where he organized events and provided support for members of the organization. He has been a featured speaker at clinics and conferences all over the country and abroad and has authored articles in numerous publications. Jim is the author of Speed & Agility Revolution, Ultimate Speed & Agility, several online training programs & certifications, and was contracted by the Michigan High School Athletic Association to develop a strength & conditioning curriculum for their Coaches Advancement Program. During his career, Jim has trained thousands of athletes including professional football, basketball, and hockey players, Olympic competitors, hundreds of college athletes and too many youth athletes to count. Because of his work preparing football players for the NFL Combine, the University of Michigan Football Program hired him for several years to run their NFL Combine Prep program.
Cole Walderzak
BS, HSSCS, CSAS, CSCS
Director of Training – Brighton
Director of Online Training
Cole serves as the Director of Impact in Brighton as well as our Online Training Director, bringing nearly a decade of high-performance coaching experience to the team. His career is rooted in the elite standards of Division 1 athletics, having been a standout competitor as well as interning under the Strength and Conditioning staff at CMU. Cole earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Nutrition from CMU. During his time as a student-athlete, he was a 3x MAC Champion as well as a school and MAC record holder for the Track & Field team.
Over the past ten years, Cole has translated his D1 experience into a prolific coaching career, training thousands of athletes across Metro Detroit, ranging from youth prospects to the professional ranks. He is dedicated to evidence-based programming, ensuring the latest sports science research is utilized to drive results. When he’s not at the facility or in the throwing circle, Cole enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and staying active outdoors.
Jake Dalson
BS, CSAS, CADS
Youth Performance Director
Jake graduated from Central Michigan University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science. Jake interned at Total Performance and was so great with athletes that he was hired immediately after graduation. He has experience working with youth, middle school, high school, and college athletes in speed and agility training, as well as strength and conditioning. Jake has gone through the IYCA Certified Athletic Development Specialist certification and leads our Youth Performance Program.
Jake is an original member of the Impact Sports Performance team and is an important part of the day-to-day operations at Impact.
In addition to coaching many of our individualized performance sessions, he also trains teams and assists with our NFL Combine Training program.
Jake graduated from Central Michigan University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science. Jake interned at Total Performance and was so great with athletes that he was hired immediately after graduation. He has experience working with youth, middle school, high school, and college athletes in speed and agility training, as well as strength and conditioning. Jake has gone through the IYCA Certified Athletic Development Specialist certification and leads our Youth Performance Program.
Jake is an original member of the Impact Sports Performance team and is an important part of the day-to-day operations at Impact.
In addition to coaching many of our individualized performance sessions, he also trains teams and assists with our NFL Combine Training program.
John Dalson
BS, CSAS, HSSCS
Senior Performance Coach – Novi
John studied at Central Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Exercise Science- Health Fitness. During his final semester as a student at CMU, John interned at the Total Performance Training Center. Upon graduation, John began working as a coach in our speed and agility program as well as a personal trainer with Fitness Revolution. John has worked with athletes at the youth, middle school, high school, and college levels and has experience in training adults in personal training and group fitness settings.
In addition to working with many of our training groups at Impact, John is also a large part of our high school training programs where he works with teams at several schools. He also does personal training for many highly successful people in the area as well as assisting with our NFL Combine Training program.
Tyler Pape
BS, CSAS
Sports Performance Coach – Novi
Tyler received his BS in Exercise Science from Central Michigan University where he also played quarterback on the Chippewa football team. He completed his internship at Impact and was so valuable that he was immediately hired afterward. Tyler is a big part of our Adult Fitness programs, school training, sports performance programs and our NFL Combine Prep program.
Lucas Mayo
MS, CSCS
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach – Brighton High School
Lucas Mayo is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Brighton High School for Impact. He has a wide range of experience from working with youth and collegiate athletes to personal training and group fitness. Lucas is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. During his undergraduate studies at Michigan State, he became a Certified Personal Trainer (2015), served as Michigan State Club Football’s Strength Coach (2016-2018), and was a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Go M.A.D. Fitness-Canton (2016-2017).
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with minors in Coaching and Health Promotion (2018), he began graduate school at Michigan State. Serving as a Graduate Intern, Lucas worked with the Strength and Conditioning Staff to train Men’s Ice Hockey and Football (2019-2020). Working under four master strength coaches for a year and a half, he was able to gain valuable experience training Division 1 athletes. In August of 2020, Lucas earned his Master’s degree in Sport Coaching and Leadership with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning. Using methods based on research and experience, his mission is to aid in the positive mental and physical development of the athlete or individual over the course of their lifespan.
Brenden Coulter
MS, CSAS, CADS
Sports Performance Coach – Novi
Brenden received his BS in Exercise Science from Alma College where he played football before moving on to graduate school at the University of Michigan where he earned a Masters Degree in Kinesiology. A multi-sport athlete in high school, he tore his ACL in college which made him want to help other athletes through sports performance training and rehabilitation programs. Brenden is one of our main coaches at Novi High School and he plays an important role in our adult fitness, sports performance, middle school, and youth performance programs.
Collin McCracken
BS, HSSCS, CSAS
Senior Performance Coach – Brighton Impact
Collin is a senior performance coach at our Brighton location and also assists with the Strength & Conditioning Program at Brighton High School. He graduated from Trine university, with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and minors in Coaching and Sport Psychology. Upon graduation Collin traveled back to his hometown Lansing, Michigan where he became an intern to the MSU football strength staff. After his time at MSU, he was hired on as a coach at Impact. Collin’s passion is to help athletes achieve the best physical and mental version of themselves regardless of sport or skill level. When not at work Collin enjoys spending time with his friends and family.
Megan Towler
BS, CSAS, CADS
Sports Performance Coach – Novi
Megan graduated from Central Michigan University, earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science-Health Fitness. Megan interned at our Novi location before graduation where she worked with youth, high school and professional athletes. Before coming to Impact Megan interned with the CMU strength and conditioning program. Some athletes refer to her as “Impact Mom”. Megan runs our social media as well as training athletes of all ages from youth to professional. When Megan is not coaching she enjoys spending time with family and friends, learning new things and spending time outdoors.
Trent MacDowell
BS, CSAS
Director of Training – East Lansing Impact
Trent is the Director of Training in East Lansing where he oversees the training, marketing, and operations of the facility. He is the lead strength coach for the Biggby Hockey Club and Lansing Spartans Hockey Club at the East Lansing Ice Cube. Trent graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and is CSCS, CSAS and HSSCS certified. He is originally from the UP and played baseball, basketball, and football in high school, as well as playing and coaching baseball collegiately. Trent is excited to help all the athletes at Impact achieve their goals and perform to the best of their abilities in sports and life. When he is not coaching, Trent enjoys watching sports, training, traveling, and hanging out with his wife and their dog.
Aaron Jackson
BS, CSAS, SCC
Sports Performance Coach – Brighton
Aaron is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where he also played football before completing his graduate transfer to play one season at Robert Morris. Aaron currently assists with the strength & conditioning program at Brighton High School and works with a variety of athletes at Impact in Brighton as well as assisting with our NFL Combine Prep program.
Aaron is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where he also played football before completing his graduate transfer to play one season at Robert Morris. Aaron currently assists with the strength & conditioning program at Brighton High School and works with a variety of athletes at Impact in Brighton
