Officer by day, jammer by night

Ellen Centers, a UTC police officer since early 2024, is a member of the Chattanooga Roller Derby team. Photo by Angela Foster.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga police officer Ellen Centers has an alter ego.

When she’s off duty, Centers becomes “Adrenellen,” a jammer for Chattanooga Roller Derby.

Several nights a week, Centers can be found rollerblading around the Orange Grove Center gym during practices.

She first got into roller derby six years ago while her husband was deployed. She was at CrossFit when she noticed another woman’s jersey.

“It said, ‘Joya Destroya,’” Centers said. “I was like, ‘Do you play roller derby?’ She said she did. It was the beginning of roller derby for me. I went to practice that Sunday and never stopped.”

Centers now skates with Chattanooga Roller Derby and is part of the league’s home team, the Little Debbie Downers. Her main role is jamming—dodging, weaving and pushing through the pack to score points—but she also takes turns blocking and pivoting when needed.

It’s a demanding sport, both physically and mentally.

“I’ve been elbowed in the nose, I’ve been shouldered in the jaw and poked in the eyeball,” she said with a laugh, pointing to her visor, “which is why I’m wearing this.”

Roller derby has a lot in common with police work, she said.

“There’s things that I pull from it that I take with me every day, even at work,” she said. “You get hit hard, you have to keep your cool, get back up and keep going.”

Ellen Centers practices with her roller derby team at Orange Grove Center.

Centers joined the UTC Police Department in early 2024 after going through the police academy and field training. According to UTC Police Chief Sean O’Brien, the same strengths that serve her on the track are what make her stand out in uniform.

“She’s young in her law enforcement career,” O’Brien said. “She has such an appetite for learning her profession and always has a positive attitude. You always know when she’s walked into the room. She’s very affable, approachable and high energy.

“It’s exciting to see that in our profession. Sometimes it’s hard to get folks excited about the work we do.”

Centers said a major motivator is serving her community. This is another similarity between her career and the game.

“I feel roller derby is very empowering,” she said. “We give back to charities. It’s just a really good way to continue to stay supportive in the community.”

UTC Deputy Chief Matthew Holzmacher noticed this quality. Before becoming a police officer, Centers worked for a security company that the police department contracted for events.

“She is really engaged with community members,” Holzmacher said. “That’s something we take note of … somebody coming to our events or a graduation.

“Some of it is her natural personality, but she was a great representative of the University from the very beginning.”

In addition to her patrol duties, Centers is a certified instructor in UTC’s Rape Aggression Defense program. R.A.D. offers self-defense training for female students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

“Her position as the R.A.D. instructor has really opened up an entirely new opportunity for community engagement for us,” Holzmacher said.

Officer Ellen Centers poses outside of the UTC Library.

Even the mentality behind roller derby and policing mirrors one another.

“My first two years of skating, I had tunnel vision,” Centers said. “Everything kind of closes in and all you see is what’s right in front of you. That happens and you’re faced with, ‘OK, I need to make this quick decision and your heart is pounding.’”

That’s why her team trains three nights a week—to develop the “muscle memory” and make the right moves under pressure.

Despite a demanding schedule as a full-time police officer and the rigorous roller derby training, the sport is a critical component of her life.

“It is a healthy outlet for me to take the edge off of the emotions that I’m dealing with or whatever it may be,” she said. “It keeps me grounded.”