Transcripts For WRC Today 20140215

Hockey just across the way. Thats right. Theyre getting warming up for a rivalry. Were in the middle of the action for now, though, and we need to chant along with them, usa. Usa i cant wait well get right to todays top story. We are in the middle of several olympic events right now. So, here is what happened so far this morning. The americans failed to win a medal this morning in the womens superg. Austriana fenninger got the gold and Julia Mancuso came in eighth. And Eddie Alvarez was eliminated after separate crashes. There was a lot of action, though, last night from a roughandtumble night for mens figure skating to one of our favorite moments so far. Noelle pikuspace has that olympic medal she finally has it this morning, silvers never seemed so sweet. Oh, my goodness thank you, thank you, thank you so much 31yearold noelle pikuspace came out of retirement in the hopes of winning an olympic medal in womens skeleton. Friday, she did just that. And in one of the most memorable celebrations so far, jumped into the stands to celebrate with her family. Oh, my god in mens Alpine Skiing it was a bit of a meltdown for american men in the super combined race. Oh a mistake right there fivetime olympic medalist bode miller and reigning World Champion ted ligety came in 6th and 12th. I mean, really, its a joke, to put it simply. But in the most talked about event of the night, the final phase of mens skating. Things took a sloppy turn. Oh. Oh, he needs to stay focused here. Ooh again, another step out. Patrick chan of canada, favored for olympic gold, came in second. And despite taking two falls in his free skate, japans 19yearold yuzuru hanyu claimed gold thanks to a great short program. Yuzuru hanyu of japan knows that he looks good to take home that gold. All right, so, lets take a look at the medal count, where we stand right now. The u. S. And norway tied for the lead as we speak, 13 medals each, and both also have 4 gold. Close behind, germany, russia and the netherlands all have 12 medals. Team usa had hoped to have a few more medals to add to that count with high hopes of winning on the speed skating track, but instead, they may and i emphasize may have been dragged down by what some are calling faulty suits. Anne thompson is up in the mountains at rosa khutor with more. Anne, good morning. Reporter good morning, lester. You know, one of the biggest surprises of these Olympic Games is the fact that no u. S. Long track speed skater has made it to the medal podium, despite the fact that some of the best skaters in the world are on that squad. So, team usa is changing what the athletes wear. Its got to be the suits. U. S. Speed skating apparently thinks so, announcing its ditching the suits once touted as revolutionary, made by under armour with the help of lockheed martin, maker of fighter jets and rockets. After six long track events, the u. S. , a team that had dominated, so far has come out emptyhanded with zero olympic medals. There will be no threepeat. Reporter shaan yni davis, t worlds best, finished a shocking eighth. Richards will have to keep the tempo up a little bit. Reporter Heather Richardson and the american women altered the new suits for thursdays race. A patch to cover up the vent that was originally on the suits when the team arrived here at sochi. Reporter that vent is supposed to reduce body heat, but its suspected of creating drag and slowing the racers down. Now its back to the old racing suits, also made by under arm r armour, the same ones the team wore during the world cup competition. So, is the path to the podium in the suit . With shani davis competing in the 1500 meters today, we may soon have a better idea. Hes got another gold medal reporter now, after the initial concerns were raised on thursday, under armours Senior Vice President of innovation, kevin haley, said that the company would move heaven and earth to make those suits better. Team usa says that the change of suits will not affect its relationship with under armour. Lester . And anne, as you know, theres been a lot of buzz about this. Whats the word hats the rest of the speed Skating Community saying about these suits and whether theyre to blame . Reporter well, people seem to be divided into two camps. The dutch team says they tried suits like these that have that vent down the spine and found that they did create a drag, but there are others in the speed skating world who say, look, its not a matter of the suits, but its just the fact the u. S. Is getting beat on the track by better athletes. And i think the real test will come today in the 1500 meters, lester. Well all be watching that, certainly. Anne thompson, thanks very much. Natalie . All right, well, back at home, the big story, of course, continues to be the weather. And today there is a bit of a warmup, which could cause new problems, because all of that new snow from the past few days is now starting to melt, and there are still thousands of flight delays that people are dealing with this morning. Lets start you off with dylan dreyer. Shes at new Yorks Laguardia airport with more. Dylan, good morning. Reporter good morning, natalie. Yeah, the temperatures are up to about 36 degrees right now. It actually feels pretty good, but melting snow is a heavy snow. We still have about 2,500 flight delays and about 700 flight cancellations, but here at laguardia, things are running just fine for now. We do have more snow in the forecast later on today, so obviously, that will back things up again in northeastern airports. Now, down in pennsylvania, it was the roads that were an absolute mess. Actually, after the snow stopped, it could have been solar glare that caused this massive pileup on the pennsylvania turnpike. That was cleared up all day long yesterday, and then eventually, the road was reopened. And you can see that roof collapse at a Sports Facility in new jersey. We also saw a lot of problems with cleanup in new york, where a snowplow actually tossed a lot of the snow right into a restaurant, which knocked some people over. So, its the cleanup thats been a huge issue. And of course, now were talking about more snow moving into the northeast. Its inching closer to new york city, although into the northeast. Its inching closer to new york city. We are going to see things deteriorate throughout the day with some pockets of heavier snow. But this is going to be more of a new england snowstorm as we go through the rest of this afternoon and into tonight, as well. So if we look at some of the maps with what were expecting with the next snowstorm, you can see its another area of low pressure thats going to make for all of these Winter Weather advisories and blizzard warnings right along the coast of massachusetts. Stretching down into cape cod where its not just the snow, its the wind that is going to make things very, very tricky up that way and reduce visibilities. Turns into a noreaster when it strengthens off the midatlantic coast and its that northeast wind that could gust at times up to 55 miles per hour. Visibility will be extremely reduced. Driving is not recommended once this snow starts. But in the new york area, were looking at about 4 inches or so, but its up across parts of massachusetts, especially in plymouth, massachusetts, where we could easily pick up a foot of snow and parts of cape cod could see about 8 to 10 inches, then you go up into maine and thats where its going to be measured in perhaps feet. We could see a foot to a foot and a half, close to 2 feet of snow with those northeast winds keeping all that moisture coming onshore. So it is going to be brutal later on today. But in the northeast, again, were looking at about 2 to 4 inches, which is just enough to slow things down on the roads and at the airports, too. Natalie . Yeah. Add insult to injury there, dylan dreyer in new york, thank and we want to get a look at some of the rest of the mornings top stories. And we go back to new york and erica is standing by. Good morning. Good morning, guys. Nice to see you. Parts of South Carolina and georgia rattled by an earthquake on friday night. Emergency management Officials Say the 4. 5magnitude quake was the strongest to hit South Carolina since 2002. It was centered seven miles west of edgefield, South Carolina, but was felt as far west as atlanta. Thats about 150 miles away. The good news here, no injuries reported. The investigation into the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal reveals a pattern of harassment in the teams locker room. A newly released report finds there were more victims and bullies than originally thought. Gabe gutierrez explains. Reporter the independent investigation concludes Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was the target of a pattern of harassment by three teammates. The 144page report calls lineman Richie Incognito the main instigator, but also blames Teammates John jerry and mike pouncey for the reported abuse, which included racial slurs and sexual taunts against not just martin, but an unnamed offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. This report looks a lot worse than any of us expected. Reporter the revelations come more than three months after martin abruptly left the dolphins. I felt trapped, like i didnt have a way to make it right. Reporter that launched a National Debate about bullying. No matter how bad and how vulgar it sounds, thats how we communicate, thats how our friendship was. Reporter just a few days ago, incognito vented on twitter dear jon martin, the truth is going to bury you. But on friday, a different tone please stop the hate. Happy valentines day. His attorney is saying the report is full of errors and that martin was never bullied by Richie Incognito or any member of the dolphins offensive line. The report concludes that incognito didnt intend to cause lasting emotional injury. I hope the lesson is for not only football but for all of us in the country, that weve got to be a little more sensitive. Reporter late friday, the dolphins owner insisted this situation must never happen again. Martins agent says his client feels vindicated. Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. A major blow to Union Organizers in the south. Workers at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga, tennessee, voted against being represented by the united autoworkers on friday night. That vote is seen as a major setback for the unions efforts to make its way into the south, where foreign automakers have more than a dozen assembly plants. Expect to see a noticeable increase in gas prices in the coming weeks. Oil analysts say the price at the pump will spike as spring approaches, but it wont be as high as the annual rise seen in years past. Right now, the National Average is 3. 34 a gallon. Aaa predicts a peak of between 3. 55 and 3. 75 a a an underwa of the eightarmed variety. Take a look at this video. Here you go. A pair of scuba divers in carmel, california, they were about 80 feet down in the water when they came across this guy, a giant pacific octopus, which as you can see here, swam up, gave the camera a little hug there, and then didnt let go, trying to pull their camera away. The octopus latched on for a good few moments before one of the divers then flashed, as you can see there, flashed the cameras lights. That scared the big guy away. Th said to be rather shy. This ones perhaps not. Lester, you may remember, i met a giant pacific octopus at the National Aquarium in baltimore last year, and theyll reach out and touch you. So. Always bring your flash along, right . There you go. Erica, thanks very much. That is a look at the news. I think dylan may have a look for us at the rest of the countrys forecast. I think she does. Good morning, guys. I would love to see the see thes an octopus would take going way down deep. We are looking at the cold temperatures on the east coast, but out west, its a whole different story. We ended up with near record temperatures in some parts of the southwest. You can see we made it into the 80s yesterday, 89 degrees in parts of california, 79 down through southern texas. So it was a nice, warm day yesterday and they are the ones getting a break from the Winter Weather. Today, its going to be another warm one, too. But in the pacific northwest, especially along the coast of oregon, thats where were seeing heavy rain and mountain snow. Its that stream of moisture, but that is good news for northern and central california, as well. But look at some of the rain totals we could see. Inches of rain and feet of snow. Flood warnings in effect and high wind warnings, too. It is going to be a nasty day out that way. But they do need the rain and mountains do need the snow. Itll melt and that will help with the drought situation out that way. Thats a look at the weather across the country, now heres a peek out your window. Good saturday morning, everybody. Im storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. And outside of our windows rain drops and snowflakes. The panhandle of West Virginia and much of the blue ridge in the Shenandoah Valley. Here it is on the radar, mostly rain in the metro, but a rain snow mix out west. We could see an inch to two inches of snow out towards the pennsylvania border. Temperatures right now generally in the mid30s. A coating to an inch around town, more to the north and west. Have and that is your latest forecast. Now back over to lester in sochi, where it is so much warmer than it is here. I didnt even want to mention, its actlly warmer today than yesterday, but oh, i did mention that. Sorry, that came out of my mouth. Dylan, thanks very much. The men from team usa didnt win a medal in the mens figure skating competition, but you wouldnt know that based on the smile on 19yearold jason browns face when the event was over. He finished ninth, and teammate Jeremy Abbott finished twelfth. Jason brown and Jeremy Abbott, good morning to you guys. Nice to have you both here. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for having us. And the crowd says hi as well. [ cheers and applause ] jason, you told reporters, im just happy to finish in the top ten, but the truth of the matter is it wasnt really a great night for the men. So, you were really in position for the bronze when you stepped out there. Were you feeling the pressure . For sure its always exciting to go last after everything unfolds in front of you, and i wanted to go out and put out the best performance i could. And you know, it was a little bit disappointing. I wanted to skate better, but i enjoyed every moment and i just had a blast out there. The crowd loved your performance. As we know, weve seen that it went viral on youtube, previous performances of the riverdance routine. But in technical scores, though, you know, you had a few falters there. What are you doing mentally at that point . You just go for it . Yeah, you just keep going. You train the program so much, so you just put whatever happens, you know, what happens and just move on and keep focused and go on to the next thing. Jeremy, you skated a Clean Program last night, which a lot of the skaters cant say they did. First of all, were you in any pain from the wipeout the day before . Yeah, i was in a lot of pain yesterday. Basically, i was seized up from my hip up to my shoulder, like all the muscles. And i had full range of motion, but when i went to engage the muscles, it was excruciating. So, like, i couldnt do any, like, triple loop jumps, so we had to kind of scale back my program a little bit yesterday. Like, my combination was supposed to be triple lutz, double loop, and i had to do double toe. And at the end, i was supposed to do the loop and i did the double axel because of the pain, i couldnt take off. But you know, i came here to compete, and i wasnt going to let some draescrash, you know, of derail that. You ao werent going to let the haters derail it. Someone asked you a question [ cheers and applause ] there you go. Someone asked you, in clutch moments, falling and something, and you were pretty pointed that, this is hard. This is more than hard what you guys are asked to do. Absolutely. You know, ive been called a head case for many, many years, and its just, you know, you start to buy into it for a while. And ive come to learn that i am so much stronger than people give me credit for and that i give my own self credit for, and i was fed up with it. I just wanted to be like, look, you guys havent been in this position and its very, very difficult. Good for you. Seriously, good for you. Jason, youre 19 years old. You finished in the top ten here in the olympics. Whats the its been said that you dont have a quad yet in your program. Is that next, youve got to work on that . Its definitely next. Im working on it every day. When it is ready, its going to be put in that program, and i cant wait to see, you know, when it is in the program, what unfolds. You know, to put out a clean skate with a quad, i really do feel like the possibilities are endless in the future. You guys made a lot of people proud. Thanks for stopping by. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good to have you here. All right, still to come from sochi, a russian History Lesson about the vikings on the high seas. And keir simmons finds out that the job is not as easy as it looks. First, this is today on nbc. If you close your eyes welcome back to sochi. Now, when you think of the vikings, places like norway and denmark probably come to mind, but as our keir simmons has found out, the russians actually had a big influence here in russia, more than you might imagine. Keir, good morning. Hi, natalie, good morning. Have you enjoyed the week . Ive loved it its amazing. Wonderful country. Its a great country. People enjoyed these sporting competitions through the ages, including the vikings, who, it turns out, sailed the black sea right beside us here and have a deeper connection to russia than you might think. Who sails with me . Reporter vikings, warlords of the sea. In northern europe, they still celebrate their viking roots. But few realize the vikings got as far as russia, too. They came in long ships built for long distances, like this one in the viking museum in denmark. And i am about to find out how they traveled so far. What does it take to be a viking . Theyre all over the world. It was bound to happen. Im sorry, everyone. Reporter but i soon got the hang of it. Well, sort of. My flameheaded viking friend in front of me is making me look pretty shabby, to be honest. Yeah. Reporter centuries ago, viking warships like the sea stallion sailed across the atlantic. The vikings were the first europeans to travel to north america. Reporter and they sailed east, reaching as far as whats now called st. Petersburg. Centuries before peter the great built this magnificent city, the vikings were here, rowing these very rivers, taking their viking boats across this vast land. They settled and traveled on south, past where sochi now is on the black sea to get to the caspian sea. And because they were rowers, some historians claim they became known as the rus. These People Living here called rus, that part lived on into the word we have for the country, russia, rusland today. Some people think that rus means the people who are rowing. Reporter back on the sea stallion, its time to stop rowing and start sailing. Its just so amazing to be able to experience history in such a way. Reporter a history that stretched as far as russia, perhaps giving the country its name, and lending russians some of their fiery spirit. How are we doing, vikings . [ cheering ] its amazing to think, isnt it, the going way that the vikings sailed to both russia and the usa. And guys, there are still some vikings around. We posted this picture of a wanna be viking watching the curling. He doesnt look like the fiercest viking, i have to say. No. I think you needed a hat for that when you were rowing. Thats actually me, there, to be honest. You always hate when the captain says, i want to go water skiing. Yeah. Faster, faster, faster seer simmons, thank you. Good to see you. Still to come this morning on today, were going to check in with the young girl whose parents fought to get her a Lung Transplant. All that and more from sochi, including one of the nhls best players on home ice in russia preparing for a matchup for the ages. Thats going on right now, matchup for the ages. Thats going on right now, bu good is in every blue diamond a good that comes in 25 flavors. From whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. And once good gets going, theres no stopping it. Get your good going. Blue diamond. Snack nut of the u. S. Ski team. Good morning, it is saturday, february 15th, heres a look at smoof our top stories this morning. The outer loop of the beltway part of it is blocked off this morning after a tractortrailer lost control and flipped on its side. Maryland state police have been on the scene now since 3 15 this morning. Officers are detouring traffic. Theres to word on how long its going to take to clean everything up. A firefighter was hurt during an Apartment Fire today in germantown, maryland. Officials say the firefighter had minor injuries and should be okay. The red cross is helping some neighbors who were forced from their home. No word, though, on what caused that fire. And this morning, people across the region are still digging out from the snowstorm. Last night, we saw large patches of snow that started to refreeze once the sun went down. We also found an unattended car left running stuck in the snow. That car was eventually moved by the driver and a friend. Were going to check your snowy forecast next. Good morning, everybody, meteorologist chuck bell. Light rain inside most of the metro area, but there are snow flakes mixing in and changing to mostly snow for Loudon County out toward fredericks and hagerstown. 37 downtown, 34 leesburg, with temperatures just cold enough to support some snowflakes, we could get a coating to one to two inches of snow. Steadier snow amounts and higher snow chances across parts of Northern Maryland into the panhandle of West Virginia where 2 to 4 inches of snow are possible. Most of the rain and snow coming to an end early to mid afternoon today and then turning windy and cold for your saturday night out. All right, thanks. The next update is 25 minutes away, but now back to the today show. Were back on this saturday morning. Its february 15th, 2014, a gorgeous day here in sochi. Those unseasonably warm temperatures Holding Steady in the middle of what is supposed to be winter. Although its important to point out that average winter temperatures here are in the 50s in sochi. Yeah, this is the warmest place for winter olympics. So its unseasonably warm, but its not necessarily a coldweather place to be. Im lester holt alongside natalie morales. Erica and dylan are keeping on top of everything nonolympic back in new york. Thats right, and coming up in this half hour, he is called alexander the great. For alex ovechkin, this is one of the biggest days of his life as he faces off against the United States right here in his home country. Were going to catch up with him. Then, figure skating turns to the ladies very soon. Gold medalist Scott Hamilton will tell us who has a chance at bringing home the gold. And later, the woman who gave up her coveted spot on the Biathlon Team for her twin sister got to see her compete here in sochi. Were going to talk with them live about their emotional reunion. But lets begin this half hour in new york and an update on a little girl who captured a lot of our hearts last year. Yaerk . All right, lester, thanks. You may remember sarah murnaghans story. Shes the 11yearold girl whose parents fought a very public battle to change the rules on who could receive donor organs. Sarah did receive a double Lung Transplant this summer. Kristen dahlgren spoke with her about how shes doing now. Kristen, good morning. Good morning, erica. What a remarkable little girl. Now, some eight months after two transplants, sarah is doing great. She still has challenges, but she also has a message of hope. Can i swim . No. Reporter for 11yearold sarah murnaghan, a snow day spent playing inside with her siblings is a miracle. Am i brown . Reporter less than a year ago, she was in a hospital, her lungs riddled with Cystic Fibrosis. Out of breath. Reporter given just weeks to live. I thought she was going to die. Reporter sarah was just 10. But in a case that drew national attention, her parents had to go to court to have sarah put on a transplant list for patients 12 and up. She told me to never, ever give up on her. Reporter sarah is still a fighter. When a judge ruled the guidelines should change for her, she received two double Lung Transplants. The first set failed. The second surgery worked. Now back home with her family, sarah showed me the tough physical therapy she does every day. All right all right, show me your muscles. Can i see them . Huge you got strong. I guess. Whoa reporter she still needs to be careful. Her immune system is weak and her bones brittle and fractured from the medication and so much time on bed rest, but every day brings improvements. She now breathes on her own, can get up and downstairs. And friday night, the girl who wants to be a rock star got a heros welcome at a Cystic Fibrosis benefit. And the little girl whos been through so much brought this message to others who are suffering. Whatever you are dealing with, young or old, just to be yourself. Look deep inside yourself for that bravery and reason to fight. Isnt she amazing . Her mom tells me she feels like what sarahs been through has saved lives. Shes still fighting, though. She wants a temporary stay to transplantules to become permanent. She says, whenever possible, the sickest patients should get organs first. Erica. Thanks. Great to see her making such a good improvement. Want to get another check of your weather from dylan. Hey, dylan. Hey, erica. Good morning, everyone. Things are okay rightbut we are snow move into the new york city area. But by the time we get into next week, we will finally be talking about a warmup around here. Its all about the jet stream. We have been stuck in this pattern with a jet stream sitting well down south. And that drags that cold air from the north. Teens, 20s, 30s, 40s down into the southeast. But as it flattens out by wednesday, temperatures start to moderate. But then watch what happens as we go into friday. You get a ridge in the jet stream along the east coast. And thats going to allow some warmer temperatures. So instead of 20s, were looking at 40s, not too bad in the northeast. Well take it after the winter weve had. And speaking of winter, we are going to see more snow, especially up across parts of new england where there are blizzard warnings up and down the coast of massachusetts. We could end up with a foot and a half of snow in parts of maine. That is going to start to get cranking into this afternoon and especially into tonight. But it pulls away pretty quickly. And we should start to see improvements as we go into sunday. Especially across massachusetts and then eventually it pulls away through maine by sunday night. Thats a look at the weather across the country, now heres a peek out your window. Good morning, everybody, im chuck bell, Winter Weather advisories for Northern Maryland, the panhandle of West Virginia, the blue ridge and the Shenandoah Valley going until early this afternoon. Storm team 4 radar continues to show mostly rain in the metro, but a rain snow mix that becomes mostly snow out toward the blue ridge. Temperatures are generally at or above freezing, so not much of this is going to stick on the roads, but on the grassy surfaces could get an inch or two. Be keeping a close eye on that. Staying cold all the way through the weekend, milder, though, b and that is your latest forecast. Lester . All right, dylan, thanks. Now to the winter games most famous rivalry, the u. S. Versus russia in mens ice hockey. Theyre playing right now, but these arent the nameless, faceless russian hockey players from those miracle on ice days. Russias biggest star is a fan favorite in the u. S. , Washington Capitals superstar alex ovechkin. He spoke with Kevin Tibbles before leaving for sochi. Ovechkin, score reporter they call this scoring machine alexander the great. And while he hails from moscow and stars on the Russian Olympic Team one city to another city. Reporter its in the u. S. Capital where Alexander Ovechkin reigns supreme. Ovechkin, he scores reporter when you meet him [ speaking Foreign Language ] this 28yearold superstar comes across as a big, likable kid, whose first task was to learn english. Hello, how are you, all that, nice to meet you, all that kind of stuff. Reporter with the washington capita capitals, ovi speaks hockey. An nhl allstar, most valuable player, most outstanding player, most goals, most points. Im out of breath. Ovechkin was even selected to be the first russian athlete to carry the torch. He credits his mom and dad, star athletes themselves, with mentoring him every step of the way. To introduce me to his olympic homeland, we went to washingtons marivana russian restaurant. Lets go. After helping translate the menu, his favorite soup, forst. Cant beat that how do you say bon appetit in russian . [ speaking russian ] reporter off the ice, he chills with fiancee tennis star meira kirilenko. When she saw me the first time, she fall in love with me right away. Immediately . Immediately, yeah. Reporter and you . It took me reporter what, 15 seconds . 25. He was just, you know, off doing the point, come on, maria, lets go and theyd be like, shhh. Cant you just be quiet, please . Reporter meanwhile, the main course, beef stroganoff, arrives. This is good, huh . Uh huh. Reporter and whats alexander the greats dream . Olympic gold and the stanley cup in the same year. Thats a big dream. Yeah. Im probably done with hockey right away. Reporter well, then you could take up tennis. When hes on the ice, russian fans will be calling shaybu, a shaybu. What is that . Like score a goal, score a goal. Reporter and if anybody knows how to do that, its this guy. Kevin tibbles, nbc news, washington. We actually may be hearing that because were just about 50 feet from the stadium where theyre playing right now. Just ahead, Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton on the mens figure skating this week and what to watch for in the week ahead. Later, silver medalist noelle pikuspace on her big win and how shes made the winter games a family affair. But first these messages. Top nbc sochi moments presented by chevrolet. Tonight in prime time, its a short track sprint in the mens 1000 meters. Twotime vancouver bronze medalist j. R. Celski of the u. S. Races in one of his signature events, in a field featuring threetime olympic champion viktor ahn of russia and charles hann of canada. For mow, go to nbcolympics. Com. [ girl ] what if i race so fast, the world stopped for a minute . [ girl 2 ] what if i had a sled and all my friends got in it . [ boy ] what if i took a shot and scored the winning goal . [ boy 2 ] what if i cut through the winter air and didnt feel the cold . [ boy 3 ] what if i could fly and soared like i had wings . [ girl 3 ] what if i stood up on the winners stand and heard my country sing . 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For the most amazing parts of you. Welcome back to today on a saturday morning in sochi. A dramatic night last night on the ice for the men. Japans yuzuru hanyu won the first gold medal ever for his nation in figure skating. Team usas jason brown and Jeremy Abbott put on a strong showing as well, but neither finished in the top three. Nbc olympics figure skating analyst Scott Hamilton is going to take us through last nights highlights and look ahead to the next week of figure skating. Good morning to you, scott good morning. Kind of a disappointing night last night. I mean, the gold medal winner and the silver medal winner, yuzuru hanyu and patrick chan both stumbled. Is that well, theyre both going for the gold medal and its going to be one of those two, and i think they had that in mind. If they could just navigate the long program, theyd be able to win a medal. And you have to think after hanyu went down once and then tripped out of the double flip right here, the next time, youd think that, well, okay, now its all chan. Right. Chans got it. And when you heard the score, you know, he had to think, okay, ive got this. But then he went out and he had his own mistakes, and it was just a tragic night. When youre looking at whats going to represent this four years in this Olympic Games, and to think that the top two men skated as poorly as they can skate, it just, you know, its just not a great night for the sport. Yeah, well, team usa was hoping that jason brown could make that leap from sixth. That was a lot to ask. That was a lot to ask. Was that because he doesnt have a quad in his routine . Well, you know, he doesnt have a quad, and you know, hes young. I mean, hes brand new. We tend to forget that skate america in october was his first Senior International competition. Mmhmm. And he was freaking out there, that it was like he was living the dream of his life just being in his first Senior International competition. So, to make the olympics . I mean, i can only imagine, you know, his brains about to explode with all the great, good fortune that he had. And you know, its just a learning experience, you know. For him to be mathematically in it, it wasnt it was kind of about that, but for me it was more about the fact that weve got this amazing talent in this incredible kid thats got a lot of public interest. And you can build on that. He can build on that and so can figure skating. Maybe four years from now, well be seeing a lot of him. Yeah. Lets look ahead to monday and tuesday. Of course, meryl davis, charlie white, is that our best shot or best hope for gold, in the ice dance . Easily. Meryl and charlie, theyve won two World Championships, and their only competition or their training with tessa virtue and scott moir, and its going to be between those two. They were the best in vancouver and theyve maintained that quality all the way through this olympics period. And now here, its going to be one of those two. But to see what happened in the team event with the canadians, it really, it kind of elevated charlie and meryl to another level. And so, its going to be a lot for the canadians to kind of close that gap now. And really quickly, gracie gold and ashley wagner, what do you think their shot is here and whos their competition . The ladies event is compelling. Youve got yuna kim coming back, youve got, you know, lut skia, whos become this international sensation. We have two american ladies that are incredible, but watch out for polina edmunds. I mean, she was second at nationals. Firstyear senior, shes got all the qualities in the world. Shes very much like her in a way that shes young and good technically. We have a lot to look forward to. Scott hamilton, thanks so much. You can catch all of the olympic action in prime time at 8 00 7 00 central right here on nbc. Up next, some very unlikely volunteers at the sochi Olympic Games. Well explain right after this. Life with Crohns Disease or Ulcerative Colitis is a daily game of what ifs. What if my abdominal pain and cramps come back . What if the plane gets delayed . What if i cant hide my symptoms . What if . But what if the most important question is the one youre not asking . What if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation . For help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisinfo. Com to get your complimentary q a book, with information from experts on your condition. Suddenly youre a mouthbreather. Well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38 more than cold medicines alone. So you can breathe and sleep. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. Dear armpit. In the lottery of life, you drew the short stick. 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The games have been running smoothly so far, and thats due in a very large part to the tens of thousands of volunteers who are here. Yeah, theyre from all over the world, including more than 100 from the United States. And tamara smith is originally from connecticut, but she has lived in moscow for the last ten years. Hi, tamara hi so, you came to russia ten years ago, and now you love this country so much. But this right here is your dream come true, right, being here for the olympics and being able to volunteer . Absolutely. Absolutely, in so many ways, its a dream come true. You speak five different languages. What is it like now when an american visitor comes up to you, and suddenly, they hear your english, american accent and english. You probably have to tell this story over and over again, dont you . The americans arent very surprised when they hear me speaking english, but theyre surprised when they hear me speaking other languages. And the team im helping was quite surprised to find out im american. You help the french team, right . Yeah, the french team here dealing with ice fork. What is your duties . Like what is a typical day for you . Every day is completely different. Some days im greeting athletes at the airport, taking themaccr them to their krenn ven as you. Other times im driving athletes or Team Officials up to the mountain clusters, helping them get to where they need to go. And i love you took on some other duties that were not assigned to you. Yeah. Honestly . This deal was way too good to believe. Instead of paying too much for an ipad, i got the surface 2. First of all, it comes with office and outlook. Then, with free skype calls to phones in over 60 countries, i can talk to my cousins any time. And then, i got 200 gigs of Cloud Storage free so i can get my photos and stuff almost anywhere. Others charge for that. Surface is such a great deal. I feel like i should tell somebody. Hey honestly i want to see you be brave put him out of contention, skated for his life. His instinct to get up and keep on trying after that bad fall was truly courageous. Reporter japans yuzuru hanyu fell twice. Oh, no. Oh, no. Reporter but his first skate had been so good, he took gold. At just 19 and suffering from asthma. Team usas skaters struggling in the long track, will be changing their suits over fears that vents in the back are slowing them down. While up in the mountains, the controversy continued over conditions, ted ligety couldnt cope with the warm weather. Ouee how soft that snow is. This is not holding up at all. He cannot take the line he wants to. Reporter then bode miller. Whoa holding on there just barely. Reporter both failing to medal. Today, more training sessions in halfpipe, aerial and crosscountry were canceled or rescheduled as the snow melts. But heres the thing, as you know, you cant win if you dont play. Tonights powerball drawing now up to 330 million. That makes it the tenth largest annuity jackpot ever. So, if you dont have a ticket yet, youve been warned. And theres still time, so go get one today. And if you win, you could share it with the girl who told you about it. Just a thought. Lets get a check now of the rest of the countrys forecast from dylan. Dylan would be happy to help you with that money as well. Reporter i would definitely put that to use. But you know, i always play and i never women win, so i guess you keep trying. Were looking at snow in the northeast, but rain in the northwest. In the northwest. Weve got heavy rain in parts of oregon. You can see it is just streaming in off the Pacific Ocean in an area that needs some rain. Itll even stretch into parts of california where we could see those flood warnings all through the weekend. Its the wind that could create serious issues with the power has arrived. Try a free sample at eucerinus. Com. [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. This is shirley speaking. How may i help you . Oh hey, neill, how are you . How was the trip . [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors. [ shirley ] hes right here. Hold on one sec. [ male announcer ]. Youd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. Kevin, neill holleys on line one. Ok, great. [ male announcer ] and we do. Its how edward jones makes sense of investing. Of Nescafe Clasico stir whats inside of you. [ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] an intense ache all over. It was hard to do what mattered. My doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia. Thought to be the result of overactive nerves more snowflakes on this saturday morning, just as we begin to dust off from this weeks massive winter storm. Many of us are about to see some more snow. This is a live look right now at hagerstown, maryland, where the flakes are already starting to fall as you can see. Were going to get an updated forecast in a moment. But first, a very good morning to you. The time right now 8 26 on this saturday, february 15th, im angie goff. And we begin with breaking news out on the roadways. All lanes of the outer loop are closed right now because of this overtu the 15kilometer event f u. S. Woman in 20 years. And now there she is, number 81, lanny barnes. She wowed if she won a medal in sochi, shed give it to her sister. And while lannys performance friday wasnt medalwinning, the sisters story of Selfless Love has touched the hearts of many around the world. And lanny and tracy barnes joining us here. Welcome thanks for having us. Good to have you. Lanny, maybe it wasnt the finish you wanted here. You came in 64th, butter sister, tracy, surprised you here in sochi. Were you expecting her to be here at all . You know, there was a lot of talk before the games, people trying to scramble and see if she can make it here, and it was kind of last minute, but she made it, and i was so happy to see her. Aww. So, to have her there to see you finish, what was that moment like . You know, it was incredible having her out there. And you know, i think in order to honor her sacrifice that she made to me, i was going for announcer from the company that invented litter, comes litter reinvented. woman hey toss me that litter announcer introducing tidy cats lightweight. All the strength, half the weight. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® pore refining cleanser. Alphahydroxy and exfoliating beads work to clean and tighten pores so they can look half their size. Pores. Shrink em down to size [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. Neutrogena®. This is good. I like everything. Youre a good eater. So, this is everything with pickle. So, what is that . Pickled bamboo. Okay. That looks really good, actually. It really is. I like the pickled foods, you know . Love pickled foods. And good. A strong pickled flavor, though. Yeah, it is. We didnt bring anything to wash it down. You have to try this. This is the string cheese. Its really smokey cheese. I think it originally comes from armenia, but they sell a lot of it here. I like it. It tastes like bacon. Doesnt it make you want a beer . Thats what i said. Very salty. Wow. How about Something Sweet now . Im in for Something Sweet. Chirchella. This is like snickers . They call it the dry snickers. Its like grapes and nuts. And the inside. All the different colors, i guess different flavors . I dont know. Mmmmm, thats good isnt that good . A lot of nuts in there, though. If youre not a nut person, you wouldnt like that. I do like it. Very good. Now i said this is like a fruit traffic. Police had to detour drivers on to route 414 for the last few hours as road crews struggled to get that truck back on its tires. Well be following the situation there on the beltway now that its cleared up, its looking good. And well be sending out alerts on nbcwashington. Com. Other big stories, rain and snow mix across the d. C. Region, take a look reegt here. The same systems creating quite the mess in western maryland. Youre looking at live conditions out in cumberland. The snow making it difficult to see the roadway. Chuck bell is tracking it all. Hes got how much snow we could see today. Good morning. Good morning. Yes, indeed, western maryland, if youre going out to western maryland to go skiing this weekend, theyre under winter storm warnings and quite a bit more snow in western maryland. Inside the d. C. Metro area, hovering above the freezing mark, were getting the mix of rain and snow. But we will see an opportunity anyway for maybe another couple inches of snow well to the north and west of the metro. Northern maryland, panhandlef