Two racquet professionals, two dogs, Enzo and Luna, and three children just two years apart in age. Who is this action-packed family with two Step Forward Scholarship Fund recipients and another child about to start college? Let’s look at Todd and Robyn Ching, parents of Alex, Logan, and Griffin.
Alex and Logan received Step Forward Scholarships in 2024. Alex is a psychology major at Central Carolina Community College, taking a full-time load and packing in an additional 30 hours a week working at Carolina Meadows. She hopes to transfer to NC State before her junior year. Logan is finishing up his freshman year at UNC-Charlotte. He’s taken his core courses and, like many freshmen, is still trying to zero in on that perfect area of study. Logan played competitive junior golf through middle school, later playing on the varsity tennis team in high school. Griffin is a senior at Seaforth High School and has accepted his admission to NC State for the fall. Griffin has been in golf tournaments since age 7 and plays competitively with his high school team. The team won the state championship last year.
Todd and Robyn have set the stage over the years to raise hard-working children.
Robyn grew up in Southern California in an environment rich in tennis, beginning the sport at age 4. She went to a rigorous private school, Chadwick, and played over 3 hours of tennis a day in addition to schoolwork. She knew she wanted to play collegiately.
Robyn’s father was a teacher at Chadwick. It became apparent that life with the family of three girls and numerous tennis lessons/tournaments was getting expensive. The next move was to Asheville, NC, where Robyn attended Carolina Day School from grades 9-12. Several years later, Robyn graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, playing on the women’s tennis team at the university. During the summers, she taught tennis camps at UNC.
Meanwhile, Todd Ching grew up in Chapel Hill and attended Durham Academy from grades 5-12. Todd later attended Appalachian State, transferring subsequently to a community college in Hilton Head. He taught tennis camps at UNC during the college summers. He must have looked dashing behind a tennis racquet because Robyn and Todd became an item in early college.
Were Todd and Robyn both tennis-crazed growing up? Not both. Robyn lived and breathed schoolwork and tennis. On the other hand, Todd loved many different sports: soccer, basketball, and tennis. By age 10, Todd gravitated to tennis and played competitive junior tennis all through middle and high school, also playing on the varsity tennis team all 4 years in high school. Somehow, Todd was also on the school track team and achieved conference champion in the high jump. Interestingly enough, those hands that can grip a tennis racquet and blaze the ball also played the violin for many years.
Today, a “typical day” for Todd or Robyn is not typical. Both may get to the courts for set-up at about 8:30 am. They run 2 or 3 hours of clinics, grab lunch, and run home to let the dogs out. In the afternoon, more clinics, lasting until 6:30 or 7:30 pm. And then there are the special Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day events, the weekend group pickleball lessons. It goes on and on.
The question now becomes: How did Todd and Robyn raise the three kids, handle the school activities, and coordinate the numerous clinics at Governors Club? Did groceries magically appear at home?
“When the kids were younger, life was a lot harder to juggle,” Robyn said. “We both tried to be as present as possible. With my young kids, I would schedule my afternoon tennis lessons around school pickup and getting the kids to golf and activities.” Other parents of friends were a big help, too, as were Todd’s parents. Robyn or Todd would often come back to GC and continue teaching after school pickup. Life scheduling was like playing the game Tetris, with each block falling into place— most of the time.
Todd and Robyn have a lot of parenting experience in their lives. While Robyn handled a lot of pressure as a teen due to private school and the hours of tennis, she’s not sure that’s best for her kids. Regarding twins Alex and Logan, she says, “We’ve always thought it’s really important to realize that each kid is an individual. We have always encouraged their interests and tried to create the best environment for them to grow into their ‘best selves.’”
Both Todd and Robyn are grateful for the help from SFSF. “Obviously, the financial assistance is important,” says Robyn. “Even more, the kids used the college application process provided through Step Forward mentoring. The mentors helped our children with unique ideas for their college application essays.” Robyn also added, with a distinctive twinkle in her voice, “Kids also respond so much better to advice from other adults rather than their parents.”
SFSF President Nancy Broaddus says about our Step Forward parents: “Todd and Robyn Ching are not only outstanding professionals at Governors Club—they're also incredible parents. They've raised three remarkable children, two of whom we gladly welcomed as recipients in our Step Forward Scholarship program and a third who is about to begin college. It’s inspiring to see how they’ve nurtured each of their children's unique goals and talents while balancing their own jobs and maintaining such a high standard in their work. Their commitment to both their family and the GC community truly sets them apart.”
Alex and Logan received Step Forward Scholarships in 2024. Alex is a psychology major at Central Carolina Community College, taking a full-time load and packing in an additional 30 hours a week working at Carolina Meadows. She hopes to transfer to NC State before her junior year. Logan is finishing up his freshman year at UNC-Charlotte. He’s taken his core courses and, like many freshmen, is still trying to zero in on that perfect area of study. Logan played competitive junior golf through middle school, later playing on the varsity tennis team in high school. Griffin is a senior at Seaforth High School and has accepted his admission to NC State for the fall. Griffin has been in golf tournaments since age 7 and plays competitively with his high school team. The team won the state championship last year.
Todd and Robyn have set the stage over the years to raise hard-working children.
Robyn grew up in Southern California in an environment rich in tennis, beginning the sport at age 4. She went to a rigorous private school, Chadwick, and played over 3 hours of tennis a day in addition to schoolwork. She knew she wanted to play collegiately.
Robyn’s father was a teacher at Chadwick. It became apparent that life with the family of three girls and numerous tennis lessons/tournaments was getting expensive. The next move was to Asheville, NC, where Robyn attended Carolina Day School from grades 9-12. Several years later, Robyn graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, playing on the women’s tennis team at the university. During the summers, she taught tennis camps at UNC.
Meanwhile, Todd Ching grew up in Chapel Hill and attended Durham Academy from grades 5-12. Todd later attended Appalachian State, transferring subsequently to a community college in Hilton Head. He taught tennis camps at UNC during the college summers. He must have looked dashing behind a tennis racquet because Robyn and Todd became an item in early college.
Were Todd and Robyn both tennis-crazed growing up? Not both. Robyn lived and breathed schoolwork and tennis. On the other hand, Todd loved many different sports: soccer, basketball, and tennis. By age 10, Todd gravitated to tennis and played competitive junior tennis all through middle and high school, also playing on the varsity tennis team all 4 years in high school. Somehow, Todd was also on the school track team and achieved conference champion in the high jump. Interestingly enough, those hands that can grip a tennis racquet and blaze the ball also played the violin for many years.
Today, a “typical day” for Todd or Robyn is not typical. Both may get to the courts for set-up at about 8:30 am. They run 2 or 3 hours of clinics, grab lunch, and run home to let the dogs out. In the afternoon, more clinics, lasting until 6:30 or 7:30 pm. And then there are the special Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day events, the weekend group pickleball lessons. It goes on and on.
The question now becomes: How did Todd and Robyn raise the three kids, handle the school activities, and coordinate the numerous clinics at Governors Club? Did groceries magically appear at home?
“When the kids were younger, life was a lot harder to juggle,” Robyn said. “We both tried to be as present as possible. With my young kids, I would schedule my afternoon tennis lessons around school pickup and getting the kids to golf and activities.” Other parents of friends were a big help, too, as were Todd’s parents. Robyn or Todd would often come back to GC and continue teaching after school pickup. Life scheduling was like playing the game Tetris, with each block falling into place— most of the time.
Todd and Robyn have a lot of parenting experience in their lives. While Robyn handled a lot of pressure as a teen due to private school and the hours of tennis, she’s not sure that’s best for her kids. Regarding twins Alex and Logan, she says, “We’ve always thought it’s really important to realize that each kid is an individual. We have always encouraged their interests and tried to create the best environment for them to grow into their ‘best selves.’”
Both Todd and Robyn are grateful for the help from SFSF. “Obviously, the financial assistance is important,” says Robyn. “Even more, the kids used the college application process provided through Step Forward mentoring. The mentors helped our children with unique ideas for their college application essays.” Robyn also added, with a distinctive twinkle in her voice, “Kids also respond so much better to advice from other adults rather than their parents.”
SFSF President Nancy Broaddus says about our Step Forward parents: “Todd and Robyn Ching are not only outstanding professionals at Governors Club—they're also incredible parents. They've raised three remarkable children, two of whom we gladly welcomed as recipients in our Step Forward Scholarship program and a third who is about to begin college. It’s inspiring to see how they’ve nurtured each of their children's unique goals and talents while balancing their own jobs and maintaining such a high standard in their work. Their commitment to both their family and the GC community truly sets them apart.”
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Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 4631
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4631
[email protected]
Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a 501c3 organization. EIN #83-3175469