POINTS for the 2010 Busta Fighters combined team season have been tabulated and invitations dispatched following the final local martial arts tournament last Saturday at the McKay Invitational and Junior Open at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium at the University of Technology.

As opposed to previous years, the 2010 combined team season starts next January instead of December with four super-consistent fighters selecting themselves from as early as July with stellar individual performances at the United States Open in Orlando.

Unlike some of their teammates, microweight Alrick Wanliss, lightweight Nicholas Dussard, heavyweight Kenneth Edwards and hyperweight Shiah Shukura had no sweat as the 2009 season came to a close.

Ningen Karate's Scott Wright, a 21-year-old, who was originally selected to represent the team in 2005 but opted out of selection due to academic commitments, announced his intentions for the 2010 season, storming to a fifth-place selection with 12 points, assuring himself a spot on the team.

battle in tournaments

However, those in the lower half of the 10-man rankings had to battle in tournaments, locally and internationally, to make the cut.

Among those who had to come up with strong late performance, or held on dearly to points earned earlier in the season, were foundation team members such as captain Jason McKay, vice-captain Arthur Barrows and veteran Shaun Cummings.

Vice-captain Barrows had a horrible season, characterised by sparse training and lethargic performances.

He had, however, earned 10 points early in the year and, despite not being able to earn another in the last eight months, held on to sixth spot.

For McKay, the drama started when illness hit his family, followed by the death of his father, causing him to miss virtually the entire season.

With no discretion applied to selection, McKay had to replace his cloak of grief with the white of his taekwondo dobuk and attack post-season tournaments in search of points.

The team captain's late flurry in away tournaments earned him eight points, putting him seventh, the same spot from which he qualified last season.

Cummings and Future Leaders' Dwayne Vascianne dead-heated on six points. Cummings held on to his spot by a whisker after failing to earn a point in the last eight months of the year.

Vascianne, an invitee for the 2009 season, was in danger of going the way of other invitees - closing his spot after a year - but considerable activity on the United States International Taekwondo Federation circuit was able to give him enough points to tie Cummings.

late-season thrust

Sidekick's Kevin McDowell qualified as the first of two invitees after a significant late-season thrust, getting five points after a silver at the Battle of the Bell in Philadelphia.

The other invitee, Sean Barnes of Zendo Karate, earned the final bonus spot after winning the heavyweight title at the Seido Open in June.

Meanwhile, McKay said whereas the points spoke for themselves, he could not confirm the team for 2010.

"Providing the instructors agree to allow their students to represent the combined team, I am really excited about the current squad," said the team captain.

"I am particularly pleased to finally have Wright qualify. I wanted him on the squad from he was 16. It would be nice to finally have him."