coaches
Meet The coaches
Sherman Merricks
Founder/ceo
Sherman discovered his passion for sports at an early age growing up in Florida. Throughout his athletic career, he excelled at basketball, and played throughout High School and College. He played college basketball at Southeastern University and won a National Championship in 2005.
Once he graduated and could no longer play a highly competitive sport, he felt a huge void. In an effort to find something to replace his basketball career, he tried running and going to the regular gym, but neither filled that void. Then in April of 2010, he tried CrossFit. Sherman realized CrossFit could change his life after that first workout, and has not looked back.
Sherman has a passion for helping others to be their best by improving their fitness.He has found that when you can accomplish things in the gym that you previously thought impossible, this leaks into life outside the gym and anything becomes possible.
Sherman’s main focus is to teach people to train safely and efficiently, and help them to reach their goals more effectively, all while having fun.
Cristina Merricks
Founder/Marketing Director
Cristina Merricks is an owner of Dynasty CrossFit along with her husband Sherman. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico but has lived in Florida since she was a little girl and as you might guess, she is fluent in Spanish. She married her better half at the age of 22… college sweethearts! God blessed her and Sherman with 3 amazing children – Kayden, Ariana, and Judah. She grew up as a musician with severe asthma who was allergic to almost everything, so she never jumped on the sports bandwagon. In the third trimester of her second pregnancy she began having complications. The doctor explained that she had no muscle memory and suggested taking one of her husband’s fitness classes to make sure she could physically carry to full term. So as not to bore you with all her previous medical troubles, let’s just say she wasn’t the most fit person in the world. Cristina joined one of Sherman’s bootcamps a few times a week and to no surprise… it worked! Since then she has been hooked. Fast forward 6 years and she is in the best shape of her life, still learning new skills and surprising herself every day!
Crista Carrion
Nutrition Coach/Client Success Manager
Crista Lee Carrion was born and raised in the beautiful state of Texas! Specifically, Brownsville, Texas, which is just a few minutes from sunny South Padre Island! She has strong hispanic roots and comes from a family of five where family, education, and a hard work ethic are highly valued! Raised upon these beliefs, she journeyed through high school as a member of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization and was a recurrent ambassador/nationalist for Public Health topics such as mental health illnesses (such as ADHD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenic Disorder, etc.) and drug/alcohol abuse/violence prevention. Her HOSA experience ignited that drive and passion to help others in the world of medicine! She has successfully acquired her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and aspires to be a dermatologist!
Crista’s CrossFit journey dates back to February 2016 when her big sis, Monica, introduced her to the sport! The athletic scene was something new for Crista, but she knew that in order to feel more confident and happy in her skin, she needed to be consistent with her nutrition + fitness and grow comfortable in the uncomfortable! “I love CrossFit! It’s how I met my husband (Coach JD), it’s blessed me with countless friendships, and it continuously lets me work to be the strongest + healthiest version of myself! I can speak for my hubby and I when I say that finding our Dynasty CrossFit family was the biggest blessing to us!”
Kaitlyn Mason
Coach
Zach Tyson
Coach
Zach played competitive football and track throughout high school and a brief time in college. After finishing competitive sports, he wanted to continue to push himself and remain healthy with a focus on functionality and longevity. A few years later, he found crossfit and it fit exactly what he was looking for. Since then, Zach has gotten his Bachelors at Southeastern University for Business and Professional Leadership, an Associates in Respiratory Care and works full time at Shands Hospital as a Pediatric Respiratory Therapist.
I CrossFit because…I don’t know of any other program out there that prepares you for everyday life like crossfit does. Looking good is nice but to be able to be in your 60’s and 70’s and playing basketball with your grandkids sounds amazing to me! Crossfit does that! All while having fun and pushing yourself to be faster, stronger and more mobile. Oh, and you look good while doing it!
I coach because…I want to share with others how much crossfit can change their life like it has changed mine. My goal in coaching is to get those I coach to believe that they CAN do it and they CAN be healthy. As a coach, I get to see someones fitness journey from day 1 to day 100 and beyond. Its so awesome to watch!
JD
Coach
CrossFit has given JD the opportunity to transition from athlete to educator of the sport! He actually has incited The Bridge program at Dynasty that helps individuals affected by injuries enter the gym space. JD aims to fulfill his role as head coach by constantly developing and educating his staff in pursuit of excellence.
