Zombie-themed fitness events — where participants run an obstacle course populated with zombie actors — are popping up all across the country, but they aren’t the only form of zombie competition out there.

A growing number of people are becoming part of the Zombie Shooters Association of America, an organization dedicated to providing a safe, friendly and easy entry into competitive shooting.

John Zaczek Sr., who founded the organization with his wife Melinda, said the idea for ZSA goes back to Christmas 2010, when he learned that a tractor belonging to friend and shooting range owner Frank Glover had been stolen. Zaczek had just recently watched the film Zombieland and suggested some sort of zombie match as a fundraiser to replace the stolen tractor.

“We all laughed about it, but the idea continued to bounce around in my head,” Zaczek said. “Being competitive shooters in both USPSA and IDPA, Mel and I started thinking about a new shooting sport that focused on the new shooters. A few days later, I came up with some rules, scoring system, classification system etc. and ZSA was born.

This article appears in its entirety in Zombie Apocalypse Monthly issue 3 and can be downloaded for free here: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/421912