Elevate your game wheNever you move
Team, Small Group, and Individual Sessions for
Youth and Adults living with Physical Challenges
IRON CORE - ADAPTED STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Enhance Your Performance and Mobility
At IRON CORE, we specialize in working with youth and adults living with physical challenges.
We coach sport-specific training and refining purposeful mobility which may include balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, agility, and reaction time.
Our coaches custom-design your exercise program to help you excel
in your chosen adaptive sport - recreational or competitive or in the basics of strength & conditioning for beginners
Our Coaches
Our volunteer coaching staff are undergraduate and graduate students carefully selected from the University of Cincinnati, Mount St. Joseph University, and the University of Kentucky and have completed a City of Cincinnati Background check.
Before working directly with participants, all student coaches receive adaptive training and education to ensure they deliver well-planned, guided, hands-on experiences each week. You can expect each coach to bring creativity, enthusiasm, and a passion for making every session engaging and fun.
Our Directors
Our Directors are a dynamic blend of licensed Physical Therapists and an osteopathic medical student with expertise in sport and adaptive exercise, graduate PT and OT students who have also served as IRON CORE coaches, and a dedicated undergraduate volunteer coach. Their collective knowledge and passion have fueled our nonprofit’s continued growth and success.
In our sixth season, we have proudly provided FREE Adapted Strength & Conditioning to more than 125 participants, while offering nearly 200 health science students the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others through sport and exercise.
Our program is possible through the generosity of our donors and grant providers.
WE ARE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
ACHIEVE PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE EIN: 88-1763620
EMAIL: ACHIEVE@IRONCOREFITNESS.ORG
About iron core (2018)
Dan Scheid Co-founder
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
Tommy McQuaid Co-founder
Dan Scheid, DPT, CSCS, CSPS - Director
He is an Exercise and Movement Coach, Research/Performance Technology Assistant, Olympic Boxing/Taekwondo Coach and Martial Arts Instructor. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati in Health Sciences (2019) and currently practicing as a licensed Physical Therapist (DPT, 2023) in an outpatient setting with an emphasis on movement and dance. He works closely with ballet dancers of all skill levels to treat and educate them about injury prevention.
Dan’s goal is to bring human performance optimization and rehabilitation resources to populations that currently do not have proportionate access to them in the greater Cincinnati area. These groups include but are not limited to adaptive athletes, combat/tactical athletes, performing artists, and those with chronic health conditions affecting their overall quality of life.
Tommy McQuaid Co-founder
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
Tommy McQuaid Co-founder
Tommy McQuaid, DPT
Tommy has his DPT from The Ohio State University (2023); and B.S. in Health Sciences/Exercise & Movement Science (2019) from the University of Cincinnati. - At UC, his passion was with student development as a Peer Educator; led a Learning Community of 18 freshman, held Supplemental Instruction sessions for UC’s Anatomy & Physiology courses, worked with students as an Academic Coach, and was Lab Manager and Research Coordinator with the UC Neurorecovery Lab, where he coordinated a multi-site RCT on post-stroke locomotor training with faculty researchers.
He is now working full-time as an in-patient physical therapist in Columbus, Ohio at Dodd Hall while co-directing the Iron Core Adapted Strength & Conditioning program. As a primary caregiver of his older brother, who has competed in adaptive sports throughout his life, he couldn’t be more pleased with the success of Iron Core as a learning experience for the athletes, student coaches, and research community alike.
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
Renee Gaines Loftspring, PT, EdD - Director
She is a physical therapist (1986) who has taught in both Pre-Physical Therapy and graduate Physical Therapy; a 17 year volunteer with USA Hockey's Disabled Section growing adaptive ice hockey programs; co-founded and continues involvement with Cincinnati IceBreakers’ Sled Hockey (2006); IRON CORE Adapted Strength & Conditioning (2018); The Bridge Adaptive Sports and Recreation (2020), Achieve Performance Institute (2023); and Cincinnati Cyclones Blind Hockey (2024)- teaching persons living with visual impairment how to play hockey.
Sydney Ballew - Director
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
Renee Loftspring Co-founder
A graduate physical therapy student at Mount Saint Joseph University; has been involved with IRON CORE as a coach and Director with Iron core for the last 4 years.
Sydney played lacrosse for the University of Cincinnati, graduating in three years. While a freshman, she was named to the AAC's All-Academic Team, a UC Dean's List Honoree with a 4.0 GPA for both fall and spring semesters, and recipient of the UC's Bearcats Strong Award
Elizabeth Meyer- Director
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
A 2025 graduate in Health Sciences, currently studying at Mount St. Joseph University in their Doctor of Physical Therapy program; has been involved as a coach and Director with IRON CORE for the last 4 years. She is currently the Director of Adaptive Athletes.
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
Isaiah Montgomery- Director
A 2024 graduate of the University of Cincinnati and integral player on UC's Dodgeball team; current plans are to study physical therapy to capitalize on his passion for sports and athletics. Has been with IRON CORE for 4 years as a coach and most recently, Director of Adaptive Teams Strength & Conditioning. This season will mark Isaiah's fifth season with IRON CORE.
Maya Rubin- Director
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Maya is a third-year student at the University of Cincinnati, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences following the pre-physical therapy track. She is also earning a certificate in developmental disabilities. Maya serves as a Coaching Director for Iron Core Adaptive Sports & Conditioning and has been involved as a coach since 2023. She is a Peer Leader and Content Review Leader within the University of Cincinnati’s First-Year Experience Program, where she facilitates a seminar course for pre-physical therapy students, helping them navigate the transition to college.
She also works as a research assistant at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in the OTPT division. Maya hopes to deepen her understanding of rehabilitation practices and contribute to more inclusive approaches in physical therapy.
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Ethan is a second-year osteopathic medical student at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Cleveland campus and currently serves as the Virtual Director for the Iron Core Adaptive Sports Coaching program. He earned his Master of Healthcare Administration prior to medical school and is a certified personal trainer through the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF).
Before beginning medical school, Ethan worked as an adjunct faculty in the Biology Department at Lorain County Community College and has been involved with Iron Core since the 2023 season as both a coach and program leader. His combined background in education and exercise science fuels his passion for helping future clinicians and adaptive athletes collaborate to advance inclusive performance and rehabilitation training.
Maddie Gognat- Director
Ethan Kocak, Director, Virtual Strength & Conditioning
Aaron Slusher - Consultant
Maddie is a second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Cincinnati and has coached within the Iron Core for the past four seasons. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Pre-Physical Therapy from UC and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
Alongside her coaching work, Maddie trains clients in community fitness settings and has experience across pediatric, orthopedic, neurological, geriatric, and sports medicine environments. She also contributes to sports medicine research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital focused on rehabilitation and return-to-sport performance. Maddie’s combined background in clinical rehabilitation and adaptive coaching fuels her commitment to expanding access to evidence-based, inclusive strength and conditioning for athletes of all abilities.
Aaron Slusher - Consultant
Aaron Slusher - Consultant
Aaron Slusher - Consultant
I solve problems others don't see yet. Brief military service (1995-96) preceded finding my actual path: performance coaching. I help athletes achieve sustainable peak performance through systems thinking. My clients include elite athletes, MMA programs, and adaptive sports communities. As co-founder of Achieve Performance Institute (nonprofit), I'm democratizing access to disabled sports education globally—performance optimization shouldn't depend on able-bodied assumptions. Expanding adaptive sports education through API.