Zombie Skaters Hope to Weed Out the Competition At Upcoming Bout

The undead will take on the living in Dulles this weekend at NOVA Roller Derby’s Zombies versus Plant bout.

The region’s roller derby team based their latest match on the video game Plants versus Zombies, a popular cell phone game that—you guessed it—pits zombies against “zombie-zapping” plants.

“We always try and come up with fun themes for our mixers,” said Kona Gallagher, a spokeswoman for the team who is also a player on the Beltway Betties.

“We thought it would offer a fun opportunity for people to do fun makeup…and everyone has been switching their names around and do zombie or plant,” Gallagher said.

Players on derby teams traditionally have pun-heavy nicknames. Nickname changes for the upcoming bout include “Cinnamon Fern” instead of “Cinnamon Burn” and  “Venus Pie Trap."

The team is also partnering with non-profit Stillbrave in the event.

“We have a charity we focus on every month and we try and find locally-based charities who do not necessarily get a lot of publicity,” Gallagher said.

Stillbrave’s gives non-medical supportive care to children with cancer and their families in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Nova Roller Derby is asking spectators to bring a small stuffed animal to the bout for the children that Stillbrave serves.

This is the league’s last exhibition game before they start their regular season, Gallagher said.

The bout takes place Saturday at the Michael and Son Sportsplex (formerly Dulles Sportsplex) is located at 21610 Atlantic Boulevard in Sterling. Tickets are $10 if you buy them in advance online, or $12 at the door. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the first whistle will blow at 5:30 p.m.