About Us

MEET OUR

Fully Qualified Instructors

Ervin Martinez

Owner / Head Coach

ABOUT ERVIN MARTINEZ

Ervin is an Owner, Head Coach, and Nutrition Consultant at Contender CrossFit. Prior to opening the box, Ervin spent over a decade in the military. It’s where he learned the importance of fitness on and off the battlefield. Later, he was eager to find a new challenge, so he started researching CrossFit. After a year of training, Ervin quickly realized what he wanted to do the rest of his professional career. As a coach, Ervin aims to help athletes tap into their full physical potential. In order to achieve maximum results, you must align your body and mind. “I love studying the psychological aspect of fitness and nutrition. Creating programs that truly deliver is the ultimate reward.”

Certifications:

CrossFit Endurance

CrossFit Level 2

OPEX Level 1

USA Weightlifting

Celestial Banda

General Manager / Head Coach

ABOUT CELESTIAL

ABOUT CELESTIAL BANDA

Originally from Kingsville, Texas – where she graduated from Santa Gertrudis Academy High School in 2016, Coach Celestial Banda (Coach C) played college softball at Trinity Valley Community College (Athens, Texas) 2016-2017, Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas) 2017-2018, and Texas A&M Univeristy – Corpus Christi (TAMUCC; Corpus Christi, Texas) 2019-2020.

Her goal is to bring education, knowledge, intention, & application to different realms of fitness (CrossFit & sports) within south Texas. She has a passion for making her home more aware of the benefits and outcomes to life filled with quality through movement and mindset.

Certifications:

TAMUCC M.S. Exercise Science

CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2)

ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM EP-C)

Yasminda Serrano

Full-Time CrossFit Trainer / Admin

ABOUT YASMINDA

ABOUT YASMINDA SERRANO

Yasminda has always had a love for movement and was intrigued by exercise & the human body however growing up she had limited guidance in this area. Throughout her life she played in different areas of dance such as High School Pep Squad & Dance Team, Folkloricio Dancing and Middle Eastern Dancing. She loved dance but was guided down a more conventional route of pursuing her degree in Finance and working in Corporate America for nearly 2 decades. Living a mainly sedentary lifestyle while eating the Standard American Diet and working on a computer for 8+ hours a day was really impacting her health causing excessive weight gain, low energy, lack of confidence and much more. Looking to just lose some weight Yasminda joined Contender CrossFit with the guidance from a Coach & Mentor. Unbeknownst to her this moment would change the rest of her life, not only physically but mentally and emotionally.

“Prior to coming to Contender I worked out at a gym, did some dance classes, boot camp and kickboxing stuff but never really knew much about weight training. At Contender, I found this community like no other whom helped me discover depths of myself (both in the physical & mental aspect) that I never thought were possible. This stuff is life changing and I knew I needed to dedicate my life giving back to others the life that I was given back, so I took a chance & made a career change. I love people and truly want to see others excel and live a life of fulfilment; taking control of one’s health is a major part of that and I am ever so grateful when someone lets me be a part of that. “

Certifications:

CrossFit L1

Precision Nutrition L1

Birthfit Coach

OPEX CCP L1

CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach L1

CHEK Holistic Health & Performance for Women

Sebastian Banda

Full-Time CrossFit Trainer

ABOUT SEBASTIAN

ABOUT SEBASTIAN BANDA

Coach Sebastian Banda was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas – graduating from King High School (2016). He started his CrossFit journey in 2015 – hoping to get stronger, better, & faster for high school sports. He quickly fell in love with the sport of CrossFit itself & has dedicated majority of time, since then, to be the best version of himself possible. Along the way, he found that inspiring others to do the same was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. ‘I love helping others, especially when they want better for themselves! The hardest part is walking through those doors. Once you are in, you will never want to leave! Trust the process!

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Online

Cameron Garcia

CrossFit Trainer / Head Coach of Contender CrossFit Kids

ABOUT CAMERON

ABOUT CAMERON GARCIA

Cameron is a native of Corpus Christi and graduated from Flour Bluff High School. He was involved in various sports and 4H, raising Livestock throughout his years in school. After High School Cameron worked at the Corpus Christi Athletic Club working with fitness and Powerlifting and found his way into the sport/therapy field and wanted to do more to help people achieve their goals. Cameron is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, certified FMT Therapist (Functional Movement Therapy) and Movement Specialist at Armadillo Sport Chiropractic and is certified in various myofascial techniques including: RockTape, Cupping (Myofascial Decompression), Graston and FAKTR. His goal is to help all athletes that he works with to perform to the highest level in all aspects of their lives.

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
Certified Movement Specialist
Certified FMT Therapist
Professional Youth Fitness Coach (Brand X Method)

Hannah Garcia

Assistant Head Coach of Contender CrossFit Kids

ABOUT HANNAH

ABOUT HANNAH GARCIA

The reason behind why I coach – I believe every person who pursues their health could benefit from a consistent and authentic coach. I love and believe in community and relationships when learning anything new. Coaching CrossFit is a form of relationship where I can pour into someone with my experience and passion for the sport and people.

For someone who is starting out in CrossFit, I would say to not compare yourself to other CrossFit athletes! If you come in and give your best for that day then you will grow over time in what you are capable of. We are all here to cheer you on and learn from each other!

Certifications:

Professional Youth Fitness Coach (Brand X Method)

CF-L1 Trainer

Bailey Volkmann

Crossfit Trainer

ABOUT Bailey

ABOUT BAILEY VOLKMANN

Originally born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Bailey graduated high school from Gregory Portland High School in 2017 and graduated college at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2022 with her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science.

Bailey’s goal for coaching is to spread knowledge about fitness and how important it is in our daily lives. With her knowledge and experience, she wants to provide endless opportunities and inspire people to reach their goals in their fitness journey. She is passionate about fitness because it has always been a huge impact on her life. It has given her a great perspective on her own health, wellness, and overall life. She wants to be able to help others create the best version of themselves through fitness as it has done for herself!