WITH GALLERY: Local zombies, vampires compete in roller derby
The eternal battle between zombies and vampires took to the most important battlefield of them all Saturday night — the roller derby track.
The Central Michigan Roller Derby League hosted “Day of the Derby Dead” at Spinning Wheels Arena, 1241 N. Mission Road.
The event, an intra-league roller derby scrimmage, saw the Central Michigan derby women split into two squads — zombies and vampires — to duke it out in front of a crowd estimated at 250 to 300 by Central Michigan Roller Derby founder Lily Angiolini.
“It gives us an opportunity to skate against each other, and we also had about 10 guest skaters from other leagues,” said Angiolini, a Rosebush resident who skates under the moniker “Rosie The Pivoter.”
The two teams made themselves up to look like their monstrous namesakes. Many were wearing tattered, bloody clothing and members of the vampire team sported plastic fangs. The referees got into the fun as well, with one dressing as a werewolf and the other wearing a banana costume.
The zombie team overcame an early deficit to squeak out a win, defeating the vampires 102-101.
Angiolini said the scrimmage gave everybody in the league a chance to skate, as compared to the 14-skater roster used during official derby competitions.
The event also served as an opportunity for girls trying to get on the roster to prove themselves, she said.
“We invest about 20 to 30 hours a month into this, so it’s important that our families get to see what we are doing,” Angiolini said.
Holly Hansen-Watson, a Harrison senior who skates as “Holly Fourbarrel,” said the mood of playing against skaters who are normally her teammates was different.
“It was kind of hard not to root for your teammates on the other team, I caught myself cheering for them,” Hansen-Watson said. “I feel like I played the same, but I … didn’t see as many hard hits.”
Mount Pleasant native Jennifer Jones, who resides in Georgia and watched the derby while visiting friends, said the experience made her want to try her hand at roller derby.
“I thought it was awesome,” Jones said. “It’s something that’s really interesting to me.”
Central Michigan Roller Derby will next take to the track on Nov. 5 against Flint City Derby at Spinning Wheels.
