Manna Fighters make 2011 debut in Philly

JAMAICA's combined martial arts team, recently renamed Manna Fighters after parting ways with the Busta soft-drink brand, will have their first outing under new sponsorship on May 14 at the Red Tiger International in Philadelphia.

An annual fixture, the Red Tiger International attracts the best fighters in North America and is a major prep for Jamaica's combined martial arts team's preparation for July's United States Open in Orlando.

The Manna Fighters, coached by Claude Chin, remain one of Jamaica's most successful teams, boasting 39 consecutive victories against some of the world's best martial arts countries including the United States, England, New Zealand, Japan, and Germany.

The line-up is set to feature captain Jason McKay, who is listed as manager/competitor; Kenneth Edwards; Nicholas Dussard, recently crowned national taekwondo black belt middleweight champion; Shaun Barnes, national heavyweight champion; Kevin McDowell; Scott Wright, and new invitee Adrian King.

Also on the card is International Taekwondo Federation world bronze medallist, Sheckema Cunningham, making her first international outing since her historic achievement in New Zealand in March.

Bennett makes trip

Another female fighter making the trip, but as an independent, is Karyll Bennett who recently won bronze at the national Taekwondo Open.

Bennett has being training as an invitee with the female combined team, the McKay Knights, trying to amass points for national selection for next year.

She registered for the Red Tiger International as well as the US Open in an effort to establish herself this season.

"Bennett has been training with the squad as an invitee and is showing great tenacity," McKay pointed out.

"She has shown interest by actually making efforts to secure her own sponsorship so she can strengthen her international ranking. I am hoping she becomes a squad member next year. I think she has great potential."

Captain McKay said the Red Tiger is always a tough tournament to kick-start a new season.

"It's the first fixture of a long season and a particularly difficult fixture to start with, internationally. I am expecting a lot from Dussard and Barnes. Most other members of the squad have not yet peaked. However, Sheckema Cuningham, anything other than gold from her would be a disappointment," he said."

Noticeably missing is Alrick Wanliss, who won the lightweight division at the Taekwondo Open. A first-year student at the University of the West Indies, Wanliss failed to make attendance criteria for travel due to examination pressures.

He started his season by winning bronze at the World Championship in New Zealand and is expected to return for the US Open.

McKay said the combined team is raring to go with its new sponsor, a distributor of Mannatech, one of the biggest suppliers of sports supplements in the world.