- [Announcer 1] Funding for the North Carolina "Year of the Trail" series is provided by... - [Announcer 2] SECU Foundation.

Proving how contributions from SECU members can generate the support needed to make a difference across North Carolina in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services.

[upbeat music] - [Narrator] Meet North Carolinians who are personally pushing the limits to create a ripple of change and innovation, whether it's helping others or breaking barriers- - [Speaker] We scored 446 points, and the opponents did not score at all.

- [Narrator] It's all on "My Home", coming up next.

[lighthearted country music] All across the state, we're uncovering the unique stories that make North Carolina "My Home".

♪ Come home ♪ ♪ Come home ♪ ♪ - I talked to people about paper maps and the utility of them.

And I mean, of course, everyone always says, "Your battery might die on your phone, so you need a paper map."

But I think the bigger thing is, a map gives you a sense of place.

It helps you understand the environment and the world, the landscape around you.

With a big map open, you can see, you know, that's Asheville over there, and this is this mountain over here.

Looking at a map really helps you connect with the place.

I started Pisgah Map Company long after I started thinking about making my own maps, to get out and use in the woods.

When I was 15, I went on my first backpacking trip in Linville Gorge.

It rained the whole time, we slept under tarps, we got wet, and I just loved it.

I loved being outside, being away from everything, where there was nothing to hear but the river and the woods.

And I came out of that trip just really wanting to get back out.

I used a lot of maps, and the more I used them, especially in areas that I went into a lot, I'd look at a map and I'd think, "You know this map would be easier to understand, easier to read, if this layer stood out a little bit more, or this set of labels were a little bit bigger.

It just started to become obvious that there were things I could do to improve them, and make a better map.

And really just trying to make a better map was the whole impetus to Pisgah Map Company.

[upbeat music] I'd been wanting to make a map of the actual Pisgah Ranger district for a long time.

And I had a student, and we started talking about it, and he was saying how that would be a great idea, and he'd thought about doing that too.

I think I always thought it would be a business, but we just started making the map.

It was a very long process.

I was teaching full-time.

I was trying to get out and enjoy life as much as I could as well.

So, the first map we worked on in the evenings, some afternoons for over a year.

And I'll never forget, the boxes of maps when we printed it and we opened it up, just opening the map and and seeing this thing that we created that was like a piece of art.

It was beautiful.

That was really when I realized that the thing I'd been thinking about for so many years, about making my own map, that it was doable.

- We've been a longtime customer of Pisgah Map Company.

When we have people in from out of town who aren't familiar with the area, to be able to give them the best and most accurate up-to-date map gives us a lot of confidence to be able to send people out knowing that they're gonna be okay, and always come back with great stories and a good experience, and glad they had the map.

- We've been selling maps in West North Carolina since 1977, and when Pete's maps came along, it was a godsend.

Because they're more up to date, they're better quality, and quite often focused on areas that for West North Carolina hikers, are more precise.

- I almost took some of it for granted, if that makes any sense.

You know, because I didn't even realize how many people use and rely on his maps.

And it kind of makes me be like, "Wow, this has been happening in my life for 20 years, and this happens like, in our house."

[boxes ruffling] - Oh, there it is.

This one...

This is the original Pisgah map, right there.

With the original cover on it.

And this person, riding the bike there, is off the trail.

They're on the rock, off the trail.

So the Forest Service was like... "We don't like that picture on that map, because they're not riding on a legal trail, you know?"

And you can see, this is our first one.

Look at all the comments on that one.

Things we wrote up on it.

Lots of mistakes on that first edition.

The process of making a map really melds together the science of data and understanding information, with the art of communicating that information.

When I started using GIS, I loved it because of the map.

You know?

The map on the front.

And whenever I'd opened the table of information, I was like, "Oh, look at all that information."

I tried to stay looking at the map, you know?

And over time, I've got much more constant to the database part of it.

[calming music] The world is a dynamic place.

It changes all the time.

So, GIS data has to be updated all the time.

I heard the term once... "The world can't afford perfect data."

And the job to keep it maintained and updated, it's a big job, and things get missed.

So, we go out on the ground, and we ground truth it.

We make sure that it's accurate and correct, things aren't missing.

[calming music] [upbeat music] All right.

We'll just head up the trail.

- In the beginning, we did a lot of ground-truthing, especially before we had the kiddos.

But there was one time in particular, we went to this area called the Middle Prong.

We both wanted to explore it, we'd never been, but it was like a Saturday, I'd worked all week.

I was like, "I kinda just wanna take it easy."

He was like, "Sure, let's take our bikes, we'll ride up the Scrabble Road for like a mile, and then we're just gonna check and see this trail head, and then we're gonna blaze home."

I was like, "Awesome!"

10 miles later... [Haven chuckles] - My family has supported the business for years.

Sometimes they've liked it, sometimes they haven't.

Do you like going on adventures to help Daddy make sure the maps are right and correct?

- Kind of, kind of not.

- Not when Dad goes "Just a little longer..." - [Haven] Oh, yeah.

- Daddy goes a little longer sometimes.

- [Daughter] Sometimes?

- [Pete] It's all part of the attention, kid.

[kids chattering] The kids have counted maps, do map fulfillment with me.

We've spent a lot of our weekend hikes in places that I need to ground truth something.

Haven has gone on many, many adventures.

We always make it back.

[kids chattering] [daughter laughs] - [Haven] Have a good night.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Do you guys have a favorite river?

- I like the one that was named after me.

- There was one we nicknamed after you, and you.

When we were in the hospital with y'all, when y'all were born, I was making this map... - [Daughter] Where are we?

- And the two rivers...

I'll have to find them, but I put your names on here, I named two streams.

One Ava May Branch, and one Clara Creek on this map.

- [Daughters] Clara Creek!

- [Pete] There, look.

[daughters chattering] Ava May Branch and Clara Creek.

- [Haven] There it is!

[daughters chattering] It's really important to me and Pete that our kids have a connection to the outdoors.

They've done a lot of cool stuff, from river trips to hiking trips.

I mean, we've had some of our best times in the camper.

It's the place that they can run around and have a sense of freedom.

And it's so funny, every time they do it, they find something new to explore.

And I think instilling that adventurous behavior in them will serve them a lifetime.

[calming music] - A big thing that we hope, is that our maps help people better connect with the outdoors, with the environment.

We hope that the maps help people to get their feet on the dirt, and have a little bit of time to reflect, to think about yourself, maybe just not think about anything.

Just walk in the woods.

Wow.

It's neat up here, isn't it?

Yeah, this is great.

- The amount of heart and soul that Pete puts into these maps, is pretty amazing to see.

And it's a lot of grit too.

I mean, he works so hard on these maps, and you can really see it in the end product.

There are some other map companies out there that are a lot bigger than his small company, but it just goes to show that he's worked so hard, and he knows the area so well, and he puts that love into his maps, so.

[calming music] ♪ Let's go down and get it over with ♪ ♪ Get it over with, get it over with ♪ ♪ Let's go down and get it over with ♪ ♪ We're gonna win this game ♪ - [Speaker] Hey, yes, yes, boy, that's- - That's not bad for no practice.

- Hey, that brings back some memories, my goodness.

[wistful piano music] We would come out of the gymnasium, hit the pavement, had metal cleats in those days, they would make a clacking sound, and then we would sing, "Let's go down and get it over with".

And boy, when the crowds heard it, they started getting excited, making noise, and I do believe when the opponents, you know, heard it, I think it sent fear, you know, up and down their spine.

And again, we had a awesome reputation.

We scored 446 points, and the opponents did not score at all.

- It's a story of excellence.

I have never heard of another team doing this.

Four years ago, a colleague of mine at CDCC asked me if I'd ever heard of this story, and he told me about these amazing guys, and what they did that season.

And I said to him, "Why have I not heard about this?"

And he gave me one of those baleful looks, like... "You're white."

- During that time, you know how the racial climate was, but relations were, I would say, exceptionally good here in Hickory.

People were already at our football games.

We were well supported, you know?

Not only in this community, but around across Hickory.

[calming music] - The most integrated time in Hickory, all week in 1964, was that Friday night when the Untouchables were playing.

- They were a part of this community that was very close knit.

They had a coach and an assistant coach that they just revered.

They had excellent training, even though they didn't have the equipment that some of the other high schools had.

- The wind sprints.

- You ever get to have- - Remember those wind sprints?

- We all played together when we were kids, so I knew what Joe was gonna do, I knew what Hef's gonna do, I knew what Doug was gonna do.

I didn't have to think about it.

- Well, it's like a family.

Couldn't tell when we had practice though, 'cause you know, everybody for themself, you know?

[upbeat music] - We had a lot of good talent that year, and we'd go over here in Brookford.

We'd run five miles every morning, 5:30 in the morning, and when we finished running, doing our road work, we'd come back here at the Dust Bowl, and we'd run through plays, and come back at 4 o'clock that evening, and we'd repeat that cycle.

- Well, we first heard about the Untouchables when our local historian, Richard Eller, applied to us for a grant to do a documentary about the team.

- Come on in.

Good to have the Untouchables in the house.

[people chattering] - After seeing it, I realized that the Untouchables story was tailor-made for the Z. Smith Reynolds Grant.

[upbeat music] - We took a great legacy, and made it greater.

1964, and it reached the apex.

- Since it's all come to pass, you got little kids talking about, "Man, I know your name!

That's the Untouchable!"

[upbeat music] [cars honking] [people chattering] [people cheering] - Hey!

- I would like to welcome you to the 2019 Ridgeview Reunion!

[people cheering] - The Arts Council first heard of the Untouchables in April of 2018, so we were a little bit late coming to the party.

The first thing we knew was it wasn't our story to tell, it was your story to tell.

- The entire city sat down on Friday nights for home football games.

You could actually walk down the middle of the street, 'cause everybody was at the game.

- To be there, to see it happen, it gives me goosebumps now because I was there.

- Well, fast forward to September of '18, and we found out there was a Z. Smith Reynolds Grant that was $50,000, as much as $50,000, to construct a public art project that celebrated a diverse community who had a story that had not been told.

We knew nobody could have a better story than the Ridgeview High School Untouchables.

[people clapping] We knew there couldn't.

- I went to Ridgeview from the third to the fifth grade, and just recently we had several teachers to pass on.

And now that they're gone, it's just, you know, it's a legacy, 'cause they were so good to us.

- It also became apparent that it wasn't just the Untouchables that the community wanted to celebrate, but they wanted to celebrate the school.

We engaged an artist from the community, Adele James McCarty, who is here.

- There was not a complete picture of the 1964 Untouchables.

Therefore, we enlisted help of many former students and team players to help identify the faces in this picture.

Once we had all these photos, I painted each face as it looked in 1964.

I hope each of the Untouchables recognize himself in the mural to my left.

I learned over the years that Ridgeview High School's history is not only about the awesome football team, there were a lot of aspects that made this school extraordinary.

- Now, I want you to use your imagination.

Imagine you're back to the fall of 1964.

It's a home game for the Ridgeview Panthers.

So far, they've been undefeated.

Nobody scored on 'em.

You're in the stands, right there.

It's game time.

You could hear the clicking of cleats coming right down that road.

And then you hear it.

♪ Let's go down and get it over with ♪ ♪ Get it over with, get it over with ♪ ♪ Let's go down and get it over with ♪ ♪ We're gonna win this game ♪ - Ladies and gentlemen, your Untouchables.

[people cheering] - I love Ridgeview, I'm from Ridgeview.

I don't care where I move to, Ridgeview is my home.

- [People] That's right.

[people cheering] - We set the standard.

- [Xenophone] Ridgeview was a great school from the beginning, until it closed.

Again, this is just great, knowing that your name's gonna be engraved on a piece of brick.

[wistful music] [calming music] - I love so many different things about skating, from the freedom that you feel when you're on the ice, to kind of the wind just blowing in your face.

Like, the sensation itself is unique.

[calming wistful music] It feels completely serene.

It feels like everything else just kind of falls away, like it's just me and my skates, and whatever skill or whatever I'm doing on the ice at that point.

Whether it's a jump or a spin or some of choreography, it just feels like it's kind of born into my body, and it feels like I don't even have to think about it sometimes, which is a really unique place to be.

[intense music] Now that I've retired from the sport, I'm still involved in various capacities.

I think, you know, mental health is still really stigmatizing, and it can be really difficult to talk about.

And so the way I wanna help people, especially athletes in sports like skating and other aesthetically based sports, is to make sure that there's a lot more education that is pushed out to kind of the layperson.

My name is Rachael Flatt, and my home is Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

[intense music] - [Commentator] And now here's Rachael Flatt, twice the U.S. silver medalist, and the World Junior Champion last year.

She was born and raised about two hours from Los Angeles, in Del Mar, California.

And she moved to Colorado when she was 8 years old.

Porous load at Cheyenne Mountain High School.

AP English, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Biology... - I am originally from San Diego, California, which is placed very near and dear to my heart.

I grew up as a typical Southern California kid.

I was involved in every sport imaginable, from surfing to tennis to swimming.

The reason I started skating was because my dad and I went to a local mall that had an ice rink underneath the food court, and we were there actually to get my grandfather a birthday present.

But instead of coming back with a present for him, we came back with skating lesson tickets for me.

So, needless to say, we had to go make a second trip back to the mall to actually go get the gift that time.

But yeah, I completely fell in love with the sport from the first day that I was on the ice, and it just took off from there.

So, I started skating when I was four years old, which is a very young age to start any sport, but I specialized in skating at a pretty young age too.

And I ended up qualifying for my very first national championships as a novice lady at age 12 and winning, which was a huge surprise at that point.

Truly a dream come true.

By the time I was a senior in high school, that was when I qualified for the Olympics.

I was in several AP classes again that year, I was of course applying to colleges, and when I was at the Games, I actually found out that I had gotten into Stanford University, which is where I ended up going for undergrad, so it was definitely a challenge to balance.

I didn't have a huge social life as a kid, but at the same time I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today if I hadn't gone through that.

So yeah, I feel very grateful for the amount of time and effort and work that I put into that.

[calming music] It's hard to describe exactly what it feels like when you're competing in your first competition.

You know, it certainly feels stressful and exciting, there's a lot of combinations of emotions going on.

But at the end of the day, you're there just to show what you've prepared, and have a lot of fun, more than anything.

When you get to an elite level, I think the feelings around competitions change over time, because there are a lot more expectations from external forces.

I still think that competition was where I thrived the most.

I really enjoy like, that sensation, you know, a little bit of the nerves, the excitement.

For me, it was always about showing what I can do, and being able to improve upon my last performance.

There were a lot of times that I felt very defeated in my career for a number of reasons, but a lot of that really stemmed from, you know, not performing the way that I wanted to, or not feeling like I had improved from my last performance.

But at the same time, that also made me work so much harder when I got home.

Competing in skating is very different than a lot of other sports, because you have a couple of minutes on the ice, and you have to perform everything perfectly.

There's no room for error, there's no room for mistakes.

You have to be perfect when you go out on the ice and compete.

So there's a lot of pressure and a lot of preparation that has to go into that.

[tense music] When I decided to retire, it was kind of a long time coming at that point.

I knew that physically my body was no longer equipped to handle the training load, I had been injured for about four years straight, and that was really a product of all the injuries that I had.

I had to listen to my body, and I had to listen to my mental state.

Went into Boston, and I went into that nationals thinking, "This is my last event."

And that was really exciting and exhilarating and bittersweet at the same time.

You know, I had put in so much to the sport over all those years.

It was really a triumph from, of all the injuries that I had had, of all of the setbacks that I had had, and I was able to actually leave the sport on my own terms.

So, after I finished my performances, I took my bows and you know, I was crying, it was definitely bittersweet.

But when I got to the boards, as I was about to get off the ice, my coaches turned me around and said, "You have to soak this in, like wave your goodbyes."

And so I turned around to the audience, kind of waved goodbye, but for me it was much more about waving goodbye to the sport, and to something that I had loved so much for all those years.

[calming acoustic music] So after I retired, I wrapped up my senior year, graduated in 2015, stuck around in the Bay Area to do research on eating disorders and digital mental health tools.

And that was kind of the point where I decided I really need to go to grad school to do the things that I wanna do.

I wanna be able to do research, I wanna be able to do the clinical work, I wanna be an advocate, and I wanna be able to kind of contribute to meaningful policies.

It's just an all-encompassing feeling.

And skating for me was something that I felt like I truly had a deep passion for, and a deep love for.

And it's something that I keep finding myself going back to.

Now I'm able to give back in a way that I didn't used to before, and hopefully make the sport better for future generations.

[lighthearted music] - [Narrator] Next time on "My Home".

North Carolina homeowners, designers and artists reveal how spaces, whether homes or old buildings, are re-imagined to bring inspiration and new life.

It's all on "My Home".

[lighthearted acoustic music] ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Announcer 1] Funding for the North Carolina "Year of the Trail" series is provided by... - [Announcer 2] SECU Foundation.

Proving how contributions from SECU members can generate the support needed to make a difference across North Carolina in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.