RH Sports Zone is a new sports podcast that gets released every Monday for Rio Hondo College (RHC) students and staff to get information on the sports that are going on at the college. We also give our thoughts on some professional sports.

 This podcast has created a new segment called the Mystery Guest. During this segment, we randomly pick a student-athlete or staff member to come on the show, and we interview them on their career. On Friday, Oct. 21, Rio Hondo’s very own, Teddi Esko, was featured on RH Sports Zone.

Teddi Esko is a professor in the kinesiology department, and she is starting her 20th year as the head coach of women’s indoor volleyball and women’s beach volleyball at Rio Hondo College. Since starting at Rio Hondo in 2003, Esko loves to work with not only the student athletes but also her colleagues. “I have received so much love and support for being a longtime Roadrunner,” stated Esko. 

Achievements

In 2012, beach volleyball started to rise at a collegiate level. This caused scholarships to be offered at colleges and universities. After doing extensive research, Coach Esko started the beach volleyball program in the year of 2013. By spring 2016, Rio Hondo’s beach volleyball program was an intercollegiate sport. She managed to not only create a program, but an opportunity for young female athletes. 

Esko has earned Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2015 at the Foothill Conference. She also earned Coach of the Year in 2019 at the South Coast Conference. “I was very honored to have my colleagues and my competitors recognize the hard work that I put into my program,” said Esko. 

Coach Esko is a member of the AVAC (American Volleyball Coaches Association). She is very active in the CCWVCA (California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association) and CCCBVCA (California Community College Beach Volleyball Coaches Association), where she is the conference representative and beach association executive board member/secretary.

Personal Life

Esko coached against her father, Larry Chowen, for 14 seasons when he was the head coach at Chaffey College. Her husband, Paul Esko, coaches by her side for the women’s beach volleyball team at Rio. In her free time, Esko plays in indoor leagues and beach volleyball. She currently lives in Huntington Beach with her husband and two daughters, who are also volleyball athletes.