Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100218

good morning. america the beautiful. >> the gold medalist! her dream has come true. >> and he's got another gold medal! >> double gold! boy, does he deliver! >> six medals, three of them gold, the greatest day in winter olympic history for team usa. so, where does the king of the halfpipe and now two-time olympic gold medalist shaun white celebrate? right here, live today, thursday, february 18th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television ♪ and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, day seven of the winter olympic games. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. we are here at grouse mountain, again, our home away from home, joined by ann curry and al roker. and folks, how about this for a fact? the last time the olympic games were held in canada, it was 1988 -- >> calgary. >> calgary. >> yep. >> during those games, the u.s. won six medals. they won six yesterday in one day. >> wow. >> three of those gold, including a gold medal for the guy you're going to see right now, shaun white, the king of the halfpipe. he dominated and repeated as the olympic champion in his event. >> and whether you know a lot about his event or nothing at all, one thing is for sure, you know he is the best at what he does, and we are thrilled that he is going to join us this morning. folks, he has not gone to sleep all night, so he's in rare form. also ahead, maybe we should start calling this place vonncouver, because lindsey vonn, what a week she had. that injury, the painful shin injury, then the delays, the training, and finally, she overcame the pain and won the women's downhill yesterday in dramatic fashion. julia mancuso, her teammate, took the silver. we went to whistler yesterday afternoon, caught up with both of them, and you're going to be seeing those interviews in just a minute. by the way, it's the first time americans have won gold and silver in a women's alpine event in 26 years. their medals helped the u.s. reclaim the lead in the top spot in the medal count with a total of 14. germany is in second place with ten. france has seven. >> and if you saw the downhill yesterday, you not only saw lindsey vonn's spectacular performance, but also a series of ugly crashes, including this faceplant by an italian skier. she was just one of six who went down. keep in mind, these women are going 80 miles an hour when this happens. for men, they are going nearly 100 miles an hour. we're going to have more on that as well. but first, ann has more on a big day for american athletes right here in vancouver. ann? as you just reported it was a spectacular day across the board for team usa and a record for the winter olympic games. >> i've given up everything for this, and it means everything to me. >> golden girl lindsey vonn called it the best day of her life. >> yes! ugh! >> reporter: a day that came less than a week after she revealed a painful shin injury. >> look at this here. she's not even on her right ski. she doesn't want it to touch down. >> oh! she's completely out of control! >> reporter: despite a brutal course that claimed six skiers, vonn became the first american woman to win olympic gold in the downhill. >> awesome. >> sharing the moment with her husband. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: she also shared the spotlight with her teammate, julia mancuso, who won silver. >> i've been working really hard the past year for this day and this moment. >> oh! and there it is! >> reporter: also seizing the moment at the halfpipe, shaun white redefined what is possible. >> if you can imagine, last season we weren't even doing double corks in the halfpipe, and now i did three in a run. >> reporter: white went big and captured his second straight olympic gold. >> yeah! >> reporter: american scotty lago placed third to win bronze. >> in the final straightaway, shani davis pushing it until the end, and he's got another gold medal! >> reporter: it was a day full of magical moments that included american shani davis at the speed skating track. >> i was so happy i was able to do it. >> reporter: the world record holder, davis is the first man to win back-to-back olympic titles in the 1000 meters. >> it means a lot. it shows that hard work pays off. >> reporter: fellow american chad hedrick skated his way to bronze. in total, the americans won six medals, three of them gold, making wednesday the most successful day in olympic winter games history for the u.s. team. >> she looks absolutely spent. >> reporter: but it is the olympic effort that matters most. >> here's what happened to her earlier today in training right before qualifying. >> reporter: after a bad fall, slovenan petro myvich fought back to win bronze. >> from the ditch to a bronze medal in the same day, wow. >> reporter: and more good news. po apolo ohno advanced as expected in the short track speed skating 5000 men's meter team relay and it will be another fine day for the americans today, because evan lysacek will go for america's first gold in men's figure skating in 22 years. also, we've got the women's halfpipe and also team usa's hockey and the men take on norway and the women play finland. so, a lot to look forward to today, meredith. >> ann, thank you. we are very excited around here, because look who has joined us, the man of the morning, the king of the halfpipe, back-to-back gold medal winner shaun white! >> thank you. >> congratulations. i mentioned before, you have not gone to sleep yet, right? >> i have not gone to sleep. i'm still in victory lane. >> has it sunk in? >> it has not sunk in. i definitely -- i haven't even got the medal yet, so -- >> tonight. >> a couple hours from now. >> oh, okay. >> i think i'm going straight through. i'm ready. >> talk about this event, shaun. it was really the first run. your first run sealed it. take us through it, and what went right? obviously, a lot. >> yeah. basically, i was at the top and i knew i had a good run to do, and a lot of my strength in snowboarding is my amplitude, how big i can get out of the pipe, so i was using that as an advantage and put down that first run, which was great, and got a huge score. and i was standing at the top, and i won, you know? that's how -- >> you were shocked? >> -- i pictured it in my mind it was going to go down, and then it actually happened. so, i'm standing up there with this tough decision, what do i do now? >> you've got a second run. >> i've got a victory lap to do. >> you could have gone down the center of the pipe. >> i decided to take the glorious route and do something better. >> you did the double mctwist, that jump of yours. >> i did, i did. >> but you didn't do it in the first run. why didn't you? >> something about the olympic pressure going on, but i knew the first run was going to be a winning run. i knew it was something that was going to give everybody else a hard time, and it was just a great way to drop in last, get in first place and put the pressure on everyone else and then to put this trick down was just unreal. >> you do the double cork. you do a back-to-back double cork. other people do it but you know, sometimes it happens so fast, shaun, that people at home don't really get to appreciate it. we've got this animation we want to show you. and just talk us through what's going through your mind as this is happening. >> this one is a cab double cork, so it just means switch. right here, you take off in your normal trick, and right here you go for the second flip. so, that's usually the point where you panic and back out and decide, what am i doing here? but it's kind of a mindset you have to take where you basically initiate the first trick, and then where you would normally land right about here, you go in for the second flip, and it's all commitment from there, and i don't know, it's been a wild trick to basically create, and i'm just happy to be able to put it down. >> what's the rush when you win gold a second time? is it the same? >> i wish i could say this time was the same, but it's just totally different. i mean, even the road to get here is just -- i mean, the work is so much harder. >> how so? >> i mean, i've been crashing, i ripped a ligament in my thin. >> your chin. >> i chipped a bone in my ankle. yeah, i hit my chin. so, it's been such a struggle, and to be here and actually be safe and all right. >> did you ever have second thoughts leading up to this, gee, maybe -- >> no. you know, i was really nervous in qualifying. >> you were? >> really? >> i was, because -- >> you were nervous? >> you don't want to be the guy that doesn't qualify, not that there are people that didn't make it -- >> the gold medal to not qualify. >> but i was the pressure guy and everybody made sure everyone knew i was the one to beat. >> are you having fun? you're talking about pressure, but was it still fun? >> it was unreal, yeah it was a blast just because -- well, see, after the first run, i was having a really good time, and yeah, i don't know. i was just standing there and i knew i had the run in me, and i crashed a couple times even in practice, but i knew i could get those falls out of the way and lay down the good run. >> you know, life has changed so dramatically for you since the first gold medal in torino, and we've talked about this. you've not only become a snowboarder, you've become a corporation. i mean, you've got all these business interests, these endorsements. you've got commitments. you're drawn in one direction, and yet, what i think is great about you is you have not lost connection with your sport. you continue to innovate in the sport. a lot of other athletes, when this happens to them, they lose focus. how have you not lost focus? >> i don't know. i mean, i obviously set these goals for myself, and some are way out of reach and some aren't as much. and i think that any step toward that is the right way to go. and basically, for me, this season was completely different. i've always been a guy that takes a trick that's already been out there and just kind of did it a little better, a little bigger. and this time, i was actually able to create about five brand new tricks for the sport. so, it's -- >> what goal is out of reach for you? >> yeah. >> president? >> you know -- >> the downhill -- >> you know. >> also to be able to celebrate with friends and family here. >> oh, yeah. >> especially your mom. did she watch you as you were doing this? >> well, everybody that didn't get to come to torino was like, we're coming. and so, they were all here losing their minds down at the bottom there. there they are, the cheering, the whole squad there. my dad actually fell down the bleachers. >> oh, god. >> geez. >> he's fine. he's tough as nails, so, you know. >> i don't know if i were a parent if i'd be watching you, if i'd have my eyes hidden. i'd be nervous. >> my mom didn't even watch. she was panicked. and i don't see all that side of it. >> sure. >> but she's got all these random rituals she does to make sure i'll do well. >> we had asked you about the tattoo, right? we understand you're getting a tattoo? >> i'm not sure. i'm somewhat getting peer pressured into one by the u.s. team coach. he's like, "we're getting tattoos!" and we're at the top of the pipe, so i don't want to like shut him down, you know? he was in his prime. >> exactly. >> we could do it tomorrow if you want. >> yeah. it's right here. >> a couple hours of no sleep and you'd have one already. >> i'm sure. i'm sure. >> quickly, before we let you go, what do you want to pass on to the next generation of snowboarders, the younger ones coming up right now? what lessons do you want to teach them not only in the halfpipe, but away from it as well? >> i don't know. i'd just say to have fun and represent the sport the way that they feel best. i mean, i've always found it strange to be one person speaking for a group that's much larger than myself. and i don't know, i've been able to meet people that thanked me for the way i was able to represent the sport and just talk about it and describe how much fun it is. everybody out here understands that. >> yeah. >> and so -- yeah, i hope they have fun and don't give me too hard of a time when i'm all old and -- >> you know what, everyone out here wants to know if you'll be back in four years? >> i would love to be back. >> yeah, all right! >> i think we would be going next to russia. but what would i wear? >> that's it. >> there we go. all right! am i ready? i'm ready! moscow, all right. all right. >> are you going to hang around the games for a couple of days or do you have other commitments? where are you going to be? >> i'm not sure. i'm going to see what vancouver has to offer. >> all right. >> you're looking cold. i don't want to -- i'll get my own. >> any events that you particularly want to see the next couple days? >> i'm not sure. i would love to stop in and see a hockey game. i've never seen one in my whole life. so i'd love to check that out. >> i think you've got a ticket. >> yeah? i'm supposed to be getting one of those shiny medals in a couple hours. >> make sure it's the gold one. >> yeah, yeah. >> that one's yours, baby. your bronze medal winner, scotty lago's going to be with us in a little while as well. congratulations. team usa, way to go. >> shaun white. >> yay! >> congratulations, buddy. >> yeah. >> let's go back to new york. amy robach's standing by with the other news headlines of the morning. take it away. >> yeah, that is a tough act to follow. thanks, guys. good morning, everyone. today, eight of ten american missionaries detained almost a month in haiti are back in the u.s. they arrived in miami this morning after a judge in haiti allowed them to leave. two other americans are still in haiti for more questioning, accused of trying to take 33 children out of the country illegally. after months of scandal, tiger woods is about to break his silence and make a public apology. nbc's kerry sanders is in st. augustine, florida, with those details. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, amy. tiger's done everything he can to stay away from cameras since november, but now he's finally ready to open up, sort of. tomorrow, here, he's going to meet with a select group of friends and a hand-picked group of reporters. this is not a press conference. he's not going to answer questions. but clearly, he's going to try to redeem his image. tiger woods is no longer running away from cameras. since his bizarre car accident three months ago, tiger's been in virtual hiding, but tomorrow, woods will speak out and plans to apologize for his behavior, according to a statement issued by his agent. >> three months later's a perfect time for tiger woods to come out. people will see tiger woods emerge a better husband, a better father and a better person. i think america's ready to forgive tiger woods and we're ready to see him bring his "a" game back to the golf course. >> reporter: after admitting infidelity, tiger was reportedly treated for sex addiction in mississippi, and now he's back in florida living around the corner from his wife, elin. >> his wife, elin, has been hurt tremendously throughout this process. >> reporter: senior editor jen garcia says the next issue of "people" magazine looks at the fractured marriage between the couple, this as more fantastic claims surface. >> the most recent allegation against tiger woods is from a porn star. this recent report says that she was pregnant with two of his children, which she never had. so, we're really not sure what's fact, what's fiction. >> reporter: now, again, this on-camera appearance is going to be tightly controlled. there are three wire service reporters who have been invited to attend and the golf writers association has been asked to select three other reporters. he's not going to take questions, but he is going to speak. and interestingly, this is all happening at the same time that the accenture match play championship is under way, and you may remember, accenture is one of the sponsors who dropped him when the scandal first broke. amy? >> kerry sanders, thank you. transportation officials are stepping up security at airports, including random hand swabbing to screen passengers for explosives. the new procedure follows the attempted christmas day bombing of a plane about to land in detroit. investigators are trying to find out why a small plane crashed wednesday in a california neighborhood, killing all three people on the plane. fire officials say it's a miracle no one on the ground was hurt. and this morning, president obama meets with the dalai lama. it's a visit that has triggered outrage from china. and we don't recommend you try this at home, but an elderly woman in massachusetts took matters into her own hands when a man robbed a clerk at a convenient store, whacking the suspect with a handheld scanner, and it worked. the suspect fled but was later caught. it is 7:16. back to meredith, matt, ann and al. who needs a weapon when you have an elderly woman with a hand scanner? >> there you go. >> that's right. >> good for her. although it probably wasn't a right thing to do. >> nice weather? >> we have a ridge of high pressure dominating the west coast, and on the satellite picture, you'll see that high pressure. and the satellite, clear skies from medford all the way up to vancouver. vancouver forecast looking great. downtown vancouver temperatures will be in the 50s today and whistler, we're looking at >> the weather should be pretty quiet today. a mixture of sunshine and clouds as we head to the afternoon. as slight chance for a couple of snow flurries. breezy, high and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al, thanks very much. talk about another impressive performance right now, lindsey vonn's gold medal performance in the women's downhill. as soon as she finished the race, the emotion poured out of her. we went to whistler and sat down with the olympic champion. we have gotten for you your chocolate -- >> yes, chocolate! that's good. >> -- olympic gold medal. >> cool. >> and just because we adore you, congratulations. >> thanks, matt. oh, thank you. >> we are so proud. >> gold medalist and olympic champion lindsey vonn! [ sigh ] >> have you allowed yourself to exhale yet? >> i'm trying, but it's so overwhelming, you know? there's so many emotions. >> you said to me, you said the waterworks, at least temporarily, have stopped. >> yeah. >> were you surprised at the flow of emotions? >> yeah. i just, i couldn't really contain myself. i've worked so hard for this, and you know, to finally be able to stand at the finish with a gold medal is, it's so awesome. >> was it joy? was it relief? how do you -- >> pretty much everything. i mean, it was all that, you know? it was a lot of relief and a lot of just happiness, you know, happy that i finally did it. and i mean, my family was there and everyone was crying, and it was just -- it's so positive, you know? >> let's talk about the race. of course, it was treacherous. 5 of the first 23 racers fell. 7 of the 45 did not finish. did it feel like a really tough course to you? what were the conditions? >> it was really tough. i mean, i knew that from the first training run. it was just bumpy and there was no room for error. >> at the start, there was a great tight shot. you really came in tight. >> great. >> you had the most intense look on your face. >> were you scared? >> i didn't have to be scared, but what were you thinking at that moment? >> i was just trying to be aggressive, you know. i was thinking about what i had to do, and i just kept thinking, you know, you've got to do it, you know, just go for it, don't hold anything back. and i wasn't nervous at all, actually. i was just really calm and focused, you know? >> were you thinking is this going to hurt? >> i've been trying not to think about that all day, you know. i've just been focusing on what i have to do on the course, not thinking about my shin at all. and once i got on course and i felt it, obviously, but i was more focused on just trying to, you know, have a good run and hang in there. it was a bumpy course. i was trying to fight my way down. >> lindsey vonn into the lead by more than a half second! >> and when i got to the finish, it was so amazing. seeing number one next to your name is incredible. >> you pump your fists, and then it looked like you collapsed. >> oh, yeah. >> i mean, you just kind of fell in a heap. >> yeah. i just, i couldn't stand up anymore. i just fell over and was just, it was an overwhelming feeling, you know? just screaming and happy, and i did it, you know? just thinking i did it. >> talk to me about, first of all, seeing thomas, your husband. >> it was awesome, you know? i talked to him on the radio and he was like, "good job," you know, "it was awesome!" but when i saw him, i just broke down and i was so happy. and i mean, he's helped me so much and he's the reason why i've been skiing so well. >> what did he say to you? because there's a great shot of you guys embracing, and looked like you were whispering in each other's ears. >> he said "you deserve it," you know, "enjoy this moment because you deserve it." but it's not just me, though. it's both of us and it's everyone that's helped me along the way. it's been a long journey to get here, but that was kind of the moment when, you know, we both realized that it was -- i did it. and it was really emotional. >> you weren't sure you were going to be able to find your family. >> yeah. i was really nervous because there were so many people. i was looking everywhere, and then i saw thomas, you know, standing next to the family, and i just started jumping fences, you know? i just wanted to get to them, and i saw everyone and everyone was crying, and it was just, it was so awesome, you know? i wanted my family to be there more than anything, because you know, they're the reason why i'm a ski racer, you know? they sacrificed everything for me and they moved to colorado just for me, and it's so amazing when you can share that experience with them, and it was all of our success. >> olympic champion lindsey vonn. and there's more great action tonight on nbc primetime, including the finals in the men's figure skating. it starts at 8:00/7:00 central time right here on nbc. >> that's right. we'll have more on those awful spills for competitors in the women's downhill, how even the smallest mistake can spell disaster. when we come back, we'll have an interview with the new olympic silver medalist, julia mancuso. >> plus, a preview of the men's figure skating finals. [ male announcer ] aquafresh iso-active whitening. a breakthrough gel that transforms into an active foam. it not only helps prevent cavities, it whitens 33% better between teeth. aquafresh iso-active whitening. amazing. one reason? lubriderm® contains the same nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. skin absorbs it for a clinically shown 24 hours. for skin that looks and feels truly comfortable. lubriderm®. your moisture matched. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time to get to check on the morning commute. >> we are still dealing with a stick spots, and that will be the case for a while. eastbound 100, all lanes blocked in the eastbound direction at arnold mills boulevard. your best bet is 100 to five or 32. 100 -- 75 or 32. good night street shut down and the city between st. paul and greenmount. as far as drive times, the speed sensors around the area, not too bad. 26 miles per hour on southbound 95. 12 miles per hour on the outer loop west side approaching 795. one more problem spot looks like it as just click on the eastern shore. -- has just cleared on the eastern shore. at jackknifed tractor-trailer. it looks like it is gone now. at this spot is towards edmonson. bw parkway looks good here. even the bw parkway southbound is not all that bad towards past -- to west nursery road. >> a couple of clouds hanging around. an outside chance of passing snow flurry. temperatures not bad for this time of the morning. we are going to see the temperatures jump into the upper 30's and low 40's. we will continue with the mix of sunshine and clouds and as we head to the weekend, there is a slight chance of snow flurries on saturday. generally quiet conditions all through sunday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. ou ♪ 7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 18th day of february 2010. there's a look at the olympic cauldron downtown vancouver, british columbia. we're about 20 minutes away from there, 3,700 feet up at grouse mountain, where we've got our second medalist of the morning. this time, the people here at grouse are getting a chance to say hi to scotty lago. that's not scotty. scotty lago, who's the one who grabbed the bronze in the men's halfpipe last night, and we're going to get to talk to scotty lago. >> there's scotty! >> there he is. >> in just a couple of minutes. >> all right. >> meanwhile, out here at grouse, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, ann curry and al roker. >> and actually, mr. lago is not the only american medalist we're going to hear from today. >> not by a long-shot. >> julia mancuso skied her way to the silver in the downhill. it's a big achievement for her. we'll have her thoughts on all that in just a bit. plus, more on the dangerous spills that mancuso and lindsey vonn managed to avoid on wednesday. six competitors went down in the downhill competition, some in frightening fashion. just ahead, what it is like to live on the edge at speeds of over 80 miles an hour for the women. >> they really pack that stuff down to make it really slippery. >> and it is. and speaking of living on the edge, team "today" loves to test ourselves. we love to live on the edge. >> we had to find something. >> yeah, some of us do. >> test our metal. we found a zip line over downtown vancouver eight stories tall, 50 miles per hour. can we do it? you'll find out tomorrow. >> did you see the look on my face, al? >> yes. >> did you get a look -- >> i did. i did. >> we're all still here. >> we're all upright. all right, first, let's say hello to bronze medalist scotty lago. >> come on in, scotty. >> way to go! >> congratulations. >> so exciting! >> thank you. thank you so much. >> nice to see you. thanks for coming. >> nice to see you. have you slept at all? >> no, i have not. >> you have also not. >> no, i have not slept. >> what is going through your head this morning, the bronze medal? way to go. >> i'm so excited! i'm so excited, you know, and it was so special because my family came out to see me, my grandfather and my brother, my dad, my mom, and it was really special. >> well, the whole town of seabrook is proud of you in new hampshire. >> yeah. >> everywhere. >> i can't wait to go home. >> in fact, there was something scheduled for the same time because there's an election and there was a move to move that because everybody was going to be watching you. that's true. that's what happened. they couldn't move it so they probably got very good ratings. >> dropped into the halfpipe, the whole thing lasts just a few seconds. >> yeah. >> but take me through it in your mind. what ha wa happening and how did you feel? >> well, i was standing at the top of the pipe and i try to block out everything that was going on, you know. obviously, i knew i was at the olympics, you know. there was a lot to lose, you know, but i was really looking at it as wow, you know, i have a great opportunity here, so i kind of blocked out everything. and you know, i was just like, all right, i'm going to take it hit by hit and, you know, and just go do it, you know? my body knows what to do. don't overthink it and just ride like you know how to ride. so that was kind of my mentality going into it and it worked out. >> after making it in the 2000 games, i know you sort of changed your approach to the sport in terms of practicing and setting goals for yourself. >> totally, totally. yeah, i think being goal-oriented is super important, you know? having like day goals, monthly goals, whatever, you know, year goals. so, that's kind of what i've been doing, you know, and i've been working a little bit on, you know, on my mental game, you know, for competitions, because i used to choke in contests. >> yeah. >> what's it like being part of the best day for team usa in winter olympics history? >> yeah. >> it's, it's like this. it's like this. >> i know you're doing it for two dear friends of yours as well. >> yes, to kevin pearceon and to danny davis, two of my dear buddies on the frends crew. >> and it's frends without an "i." >> yeah. >> and you dedicated your run to them. so if they're listening. >> there we go. we've got a photo there. >> and to your friends in seabrook? >> yeah, what's up, boys? i hope they're awake right now, make sure they're partying. >> oh, they're awake. >> probably haven't gone to bed. >> what's your goal for today, by the way? >> do you have a goal? >> my goal? to get some sleep. >> that's a good one. bronze medal winner scotty lago. >> bravo! >> way to go. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> and it was a record-setting day for team usa. another medal, a silver to julia mancuso in the women's downhill. we went up to whistler and sat down with her. we watched you at the start. took a nice, tight shot of your face. you seemed completely calm. >> i know that the skiing's the easiest part. everything else brings more anxiety, the waiting for the racing. but once i stand in the start gate, everything kind of calms and clears and i can just do what i do best. >> talk me through your run. it seemed like a pretty clean run. >> it was a good run, but definitely, clicking out of the start gate, i started to go a little too straight. the snow conditions changed with all the weather. we had to regroom it, even from our training run. then towards the middle i really started to pick it up and i kept my speed going and really all the way to the finish, and i was psyched with my run. >> there were no harrowing moments? i mean, a lot of skiers fell. >> it's fast in that snow, you know. it's frozen. there's a lot of water in it and there's a lot of bumps, so i hit a couple spots where my ski was kind of waving. you know, if you would get that at the wrong split second, you could cross your tips and go down or something. so, i had one moment where i was like, okay, hold on, and definitely flew off the last jump. but all in all, i feel like i never really scrubbed speed anywhere. >> you were the tenth skier. you've got to sit there and watch everybody else try to knock you off the podium. can you describe that feeling? what do you do during that time? how do you go through it? >> it's actually a lot tougher than actually skiing the race. i was sitting there, and a couple girls crashed, and that makes it even tougher, because you're like waiting. i knew i did my best, and it's hard because when you're in the finish in that situation, you want to be super psyched about your run, no matter what, but of course, if people start to beat you, it's like, okay it wasn't as good as i thought. so, there's a really fine line about how excited you can be down there. it's more just a bunch of nerves. >> you sat there for six other skiers, still number one, and then lindsey came. >> she first thing took out of the gate and she was having a good run and just kept gaining speed on me. so, it was like kind of expected because she's been skiing so well. and to me, when she crossed the finish line, i'm psyched for my teammate and she's had so much pressure coming into these races, so it's really incredible she was able to have a good run. and i also knew for myself that at one point she had an even greater lead on me, and i actually gained time on the bottom, so for me, that was a good sign that, you know, my time could actually hold up and i could stay on the podium. >> you've got a silver medal now. you've got three events to go. do they become more fun now or do you press yourself harder to try and get a gold? >> i was so nervous going into this race. i couldn't really sleep last night. i really had to force myself to go to sleep and i woke up this morning at 5:30 just waiting. i'm like, okay, when's my alarm going to go off? so, hopefully those jitters are out of the way. i'm excited to have a medal already. and i mean, just coming into these olympics without being on the podium in two years, that's really all i wanted was a medal. so, now, i'll just use that for my confidence and i'm really excited for the next races, too. i think that there's definitely some more medals to be had. >> and don't forget, she already has a gold medal from the torino games four years ago. so, congratulations to julia mancuso. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker. >> hey, thanks ilot, matt. and we've got some cold temperatures again to talk about, especially down through the southeast. temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below normal. also back through the plains. warm here in the west as that high pressure ridge continues to build. temperatures 60s and 70s there, 60s in florida, teens and 20s as you get through the plain st >> expect a couple clouds hanging on today. very little in the way of precipitation. at a slight chance for coupled snow flurries, but most of you will not see that. >> all new a desperate mother's search. witness the reunion 42 years in the making. then, a terminally ill woman in search of her long lost father. >> ready to meet him? >> yeah. oh, my and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thanks very much. coming up, the danger of the downhill. we'll take a look at some of those ugly crashes from yesterday's women's competition. ... all over my body... ...it just doesn't go away. it's so baffling. 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(announcer) halls. a pep talk in every drop. four hours before you order them? it's all in the pepperation. for me, pepperation is about getting in early to smoke your ribs low and slow over pecan wood chips for a sweet, smoky flavor. then i triple-baste them till they're fall-off-the-bone tender. this is shiner bock barbecue sauce i'm using. come in now for baby back ribs. choose 1 of 10 freshly prepared entrées plus an appetizer for just $9.99. only at chili's. it's all in the pepperation. the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat bunches. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful. welcome back to grouse mountain in vancouver. the women's downhill featured some spectacular runs led by gold medal winner lindsey vonn, but we also saw plenty of spills and thrills. nbc's jeff rossen has made his way to the top of the mountain here at grouse. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, meredith, good morning to you. standing here at the top of grouse above you, you really get the idea this is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. think about it. these downhill skiers are racing at 80 miles per hour. the men, we're told, get well into the 90 to 100-mile-per-hour range, meaning any mistake, any tiny mistake, can mean disaster. >> just launched into orbit here. >> reporter: the women's downhill. >> what a violent landing she had. >> reporter: looked like the women's wipeout wednesday. one event, six dramatic crashes, including this one from romania's edith meklos. she was airlifted with a knee injury that's knocked her out of the olympics. the swedish standout was on the way to win the silver when she lost control off a final jump. she flew nearly 200 feet in the air before crashing through a gate, her body twisting and turning, sliding down the slope. in fact, that final jump took out several skiers. >> one ski came flying off immediately on impact. >> reporter: she eventually got up and walked away. >> oh, she's up and walking. that is just great to see. >> reporter: the italian skier had problems, too. and the hits kept on coming. clara grizova of the czech republic didn't even make it to the final jump. amazingly, she got up and finished the run. marion roland of france barely even started. just seconds out of the gate, it was over. what a day. >> this downhill today, i saw more crashes than any single race that i saw all season long. in downhill, you're going almost 80 miles an hour. you make a slight little mistake, that ski catches, and you are going to be in trouble. >> now it's herman meyer. >> reporter: skiing spills are a staple of the winter games. naga nagano, 1998, austrian herman meyer was off to a great start, and then -- >> watch him catch air right here. >> the skis and the shoulder and the helmet of meyer smacking that hard-packed, icy course. >> reporter: he must be made of rubber. he was able to walk away. then there's torino 2006 and the now-infamous lindsey vonn crash. the impact so intense, when lindsey finally skidded to a stop, she couldn't move. also in torino, a dramatic fall for american ted ligety. >> that's the sketchy part about skiing is it's super easy to go out of the course and it's real easy to fall, too. there's really no margin for error all the way down. >> reporter: luckily, be no ones seesly injured yesterday, but there were so many crashes, the race director now decided they want to change the crash before going forward. so they'll lower the jump zone where everybody crashed yesterday and shorten the downhill portion to slow these skiers down. >> jeff, you mentioned six falls. i think you're mistaken. we counted seven. in fact, we have the prove it, jeff. [ laughter ] >> reporter: nice. >> yeah, there you go, baby. >> reporter: oh, yeah! >> that is definitely a spill, if i've ever seen one. but wait! he's getting up. is he up? he's up! >> reporter: it's called body surfing with the idiot on a mountain. look forward to 2012. >> thanks very much, jeff. gold and silver medal winning skier picabo street knows something about all this and is a special correspondent for the vancouver games. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> we're used to spills in olympic skiing competition, but this course seemed particularly rough. talk to me about it from what you've seen. how bad was it? >> well, i think what everybody needs to remember here is they did have a training run on the course but only one and they weren't actually allowed to ski at full pace in that training run through the bottom section of that course. so, this was really their full all-out run on the course and to have your first run be a race run, you're going to have this happen. >> but at what point does a slope become too dangerous to race? because a lot of skiers were concerned about the roughness of the slope. >> yeah, it was borderline yesterday, i would say, definitely. when you're seeing people going down, good skiers crash on a course like this, you get to wondering, but again, there's so little experience they've had on the course, you can't expect them to really have wrapped their brain around it and grasped it as the course and be able to manage it any better. >> which makes lindsey's run so spectacular. >> awesome. amazing. >> except on the point on the final jump. she lands solidly and then begins to wobble a little bit, nearly falls. >> mm-hmm. >> what do you think made the difference for lindsey and helped her win the gold in that moment? >> well, i mean, right there you can see her ski go out from underneath her. she has all her weight off that right leg just because it hurts so badly. so, at that point she's like, it hurts so much, let me get my weight off of it and she's got all her weight on her left leg. to me, that tells me she was cautious of that leg the whole way down the course and she was skiing accordingly but managed it well. and like i said, skiing at 80%, she's still clever enough in her mind to be able to beat everybody. >> one of her best friends, maria reich of germany didn't crash, but she skied conservatively, at least some suggested she did. >> yes, ma'am. >> because of the crashes before her. you've been there in the starting gate. how is a skier reflected by what comes before them? >> those were really long holds, meredith. and these girls, they're friends, you know? they may not spend all their time together and be as tight as lindsey and maria, but they're buddies and they care about each other and they're in this together. so when there's holes like that you get to wondering, where's the helicopter? how bad are they? maria was affected really badly by it, because she was so far back in the pack, okay? it's one thing if you're like two to go and you're kind of already in your zone and you're already focused. you kind of know what your plan of attack is and you're already in that mode. with maria, she was still kind of cruising, still in her prerace prep, and that's an opening for your mind to kind of wander and grind on you. so, i can't help but wonder, you know, if she chose to ski more tentatively just subconsciously, maybe not even consciously, knowing so many people went down. >> will the skiers feel better given the changes that have been done to the slope? >> that's not going to really matter as much to them. they'll see those in inspection this morning. what will matter more is they've got to run on it now they know, you know? julia was talking about how much the course accelerated down on the bottom part because they had kind of stood up and tip-toed through that in training and then have the hammer dropped in a race run in fifth gear and it's coming at them so fast. it's not going to come at them so fast this morning. you'll see them really kind of sticking their nose in it and you won't see the same crashes today. >> picabo, thank you so much. and still ahead, what did shaun white's family think of his halfpipe gold? jenna bush hager talked to them at the event. 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[ crowd cheering ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] relentlessly striving to be better is what separates the winners from the runners up. being the best means never settling. at fidelity, we give you everything you need to help you be a more successful investor. just ahead, gold medalist brian boitano will join us to get his predictions for the men's figure skating competition. and we are going to show you the fashion statement of the olympics. you won't believe these wild and crazy pants, courtesy of the norwegian curling team. quite something. they're pants, all right! this lady goes, "they're pants." >> they come with a bowl of soup. can get a great deal on any volkswagen. well, the tiguan's great. mm. and the routan has everything we're looking for. plus, every volkswagen includes no-charge, scheduled, care-free maintenance. so, what's this punchdub days about? you know, where you punch someone in the arm every time you see a volkswagen. red one! [ baby crying ] test drive? 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(announcer) ask your doctor about pristiq. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time to get check on the morning commute. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> not the best star for motorists on eastbound 100. heavy delay us as you push way towards a one nobel's boulevard, due to accident towards -- eastbound grendell wellsville board, due to accident with a tractor-trailer. lombard and kristin, accident locations. st. paul and greenmount, ongoing road work through the end of march. 18 minutes is your drive time on the outer loop northeast side, and once you get from harrisburg to 795, it will take you to all and it's through that stretch. here is a live view of traffic. all volume-related. no incidents on the beltway this morning. if you are going to travel i-95 just past white marsh, traffic towards the beltway northeast. >> good morning, everyone. the weather should be quiet on this thursday morning. we have a few clouds hanging around, no precipitation. it should stay that way. at mid-to-upper-thirties in most spots per 31 in parkton. close to 40 this afternoon in most locations. a mixture of sunshine and clouds. a little breezy, but not as much as yesterday. seven-day forecast is about the same as tomorrow. a mixture of rain and snow on monday and tuesday. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update, it clocked 25. ♪ 8:00 now on this thursday morning, february the 18th, 2010. a gorgeous morning here at our beautiful home for the winter games, vancouver's grouse mountain. just ahead, all the highlights from wednesday's banner day for team usa. if i can spit it out. and there were a lot of medals. >> yeah, a lot of medals, six in all. also, we'll preview the marquee event for tonight, the finals in the men's figure skating. >> i will be there. >> american evan lysacek is in second place behind the points leader evgeni plushenko. who has the upper hand? we'll talk to brian boitano about that. brian is the last american man to win that event. it happened 22 years ago. >> hard to believe. >> because he's only 22 years old. also, who had a ticket for shaun white yesterday? who got to see shaun white win gold yesterday? none of us. >> nobody of us. >> well, guess what? one of our team actually got to see him, and that was jenna bush hager. there she is. he's going to tell us what it was like to be watching that as it happened. >> thrilling, for sure. and is it fashion forward or a fashion faux pas? either way, norway's curling team, they've got everybody talking about their pants. >> we'll talk more about them, too. first, natalie has a wrap-up of yesterday's events. natalie? >> going into wednesday's competition, expectations were so high, and the americans, boy, did they live up to them. >> into the lead by more than a half second. >> reporter: lindsey vonn -- >> the gold medalist! her dream has come true. >> pushing it until the end! >> reporter: shani davis. >> and he's got another gold medal! >> oh, and there it is! oh! >> reporter: and shaun white. >> double gold. boy, does he deliver! >> reporter: one day of competition, three gold medals for team usa, the most emotional win from downhill skier lindsey vonn. >> i've given up everything for this, and it means everything to me. >> julia mancuso, what an effort! >> reporter: vonn's teammate, julia mancuso, also added to the american medal count, taking the silver and wrapping up an impressive day of downhill for the american women. equally impressive, the american men's performance on the halfpipe. shaun white won his second consecutive gold medal, while teammate scotty lago took home the bronze. on the short track, apolo ohno, now one step closer to becoming the most decorated winter olympian of all time. he's in first place going into the 1000-meter finals and helped lead his team into second heading into the 5000-meter relay final. today, it's american figure skater evan lysacek's turn to go for the gold. he enters the free skate in second place, just behind reigning olympic champion, evgeni plushenko of russia. will lysacek dethrone plushenko to become the new king of the ice? and to give you guys an idea just how close that figure skating competition is, less than a point separates first place from third. so, you're going to have a real exciting event to watch tonight. >> it's going to be great. >> and i know you'll be talking about this with brian boitano coming up as well. >> by the way, wanted to talk to shani davis, the gold medal winner in speed skating. we hope to talk to him later in the games. >> that's right. >> absolutely. >> now we'll throw it to new york and amy robach for a check of the rest of the news. hey, amy. >> hey, meredith. good morning, everyone. eight american missionaries charged with child abduction in haiti are back in the u.s. the eight baptists, mostly from idaho, arrived in miami this morning nearly three weeks after being jailed for allegedly trying to take a group of children out of the earthquake-devastated country to an orphanage they had set up in the dominican republic. the group's leader and another person remain in haitian custody for additional questioning. transportation officials are adding another layer of security to the nation's airports. more passengers may have their hands or carry-on luggage swabbed for traces of explosives. the stepped-up security follows the christmas day attempted bombing of a detroit-bound jetliner. and president obama signs an executive order today creating a commission to help fix a government that's drowning in red ink. the national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform will make recommendations on how to reduce the nation's skyrocketing national debt. tiger woods' agent says the golfer wants to begin the process of making amends and returning to the spotlight. woods plans to make a statement tomorrow, but not answer questions in his first public appearance since november, when a car accident revealed a sex scandal. his statement is an attempt to address what his agent says is a private matter, his marriage and to repair his tattered image. and do you remember the song "don't worry, be happy"? well, researchers at columbia university say that's good advice. happiness can help prevent heart attacks. the researchers tracked the happiness levels of more than 1,700 adults in canada and found happier people tend to have fewer heart problems. it is now 8:05. let's get another check of the weather from al, one of the happiest guys i know, in vancouver. >> well, thank you very much, amy. we've got a nice group here, people who have got the canada flags on their faces. very nice. but got some american flags as well. where are you guys from? >> saratoga. >> all right. new york state. way to go. new york state of mind, canadian state of mind. let's check your weather and we'll show you for today, pick city, st. paul, minnesota, kare 11 news, sunny and cold, 31 degrees today. as far as temperatures are concerned and weather conditions, lake-effect snow around the great lakes, plenty of sunshine up and down the west coast. east coast looks pretty good with the exception of interior sections of new york where we have snow there. sunshine through the gulf coast, temperatures still on the chi >> the weather should be pretty quiet today. a mixture of sunshine and clouds as we head to the afternoon. as slight chance for a couple of snow flurries. breezy, high and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. when we come back, exactly what is a quad, and should it determine who wins the men's figure skating competition? we'll ask that question to brian boitano, the last american man to win that event. but first, these messages. d. chilled. sweet! 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[ male announcer ] the chevy malibu. a consumer's digest best buy with a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. you can depend on it so people can depend on you. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went and the cigarettes remained. ♪ today's a new day. talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options and support. and this time, make it your time. >> announcer: "today's olympic moment" is brought to you by coca-cola. and today on our "olympic moment," the golden one in the halfpipe with the bright red hair. he's been called the flying tomato, animal, even red zeppelin. but just two words really describe snowboarder shaun white -- olympic champion. >> shaun white with the biggest -- >> reporter: with a sterling first run on the halfpipe last night -- >> shaun's moves right now are so much higher than the other riders. >> reporter: -- white found out he had won his second gold moments before taking his final turn. >> yeah! >> reporter: and in that last victory lap, white didn't hold back, pulling off a trick only he could dare to attempt. >> all eyes to this hit. oh! and that is what the fans wanted to see, shaun white, double gold. boy, does he deliver! >> reporter: big red raising the red, white and blue in triumph. >> usa! >> what a great day for snowboarding. >> reporter: and shaun white has one more celebration in mind. with this victory, he and his coach plan to get matching tattoos. although maybe he was hedging his bets on that a little bit earlier this morning, but congratulations to shaun white. and now here's meredith. >> hey, matt, thank you very much. tonight all eyes will be on men's figure skating, and some big air could decide that gold as well, the quad. rush evgeni plushenko plans to attempt one. american evan lysacek will not. so, what does it take to pull off a quad? we asked evan to explain. >> the most difficult trip is a quadruple, which is four rotations in the air. i can't really tell you how it's done. you just go as fast as you can and jump with every ounce of energy and strength that you have in your legs and be as quick as possible and pull in as tight as you can possibly pull everything together and then you cross your fingers and hope that you come down on the blade, or at least like come down upright and not upside down. >> brian boitano is here to preview tonight's free skate. he is the last american man to win olympic gold, 22 years ago at the winter games in calgary. brian, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we hear so much about the quad. it is so difficult. explain to us why it is such an important element. >> i think it's an important element because it really pushes figure skating forward. it's a technical element that you have to master, and if you don't master it, you shouldn't be putting it in competition. that's why you see a lot of guys doing it and a lot of guys not doing it. >> so, will this competition come down to which skater does it and which skater doesn't? >> it could come down to that. in plushenko's case, he needs to do the quad because it's in his stable -- >> it's sort of him, right? it defines him. >> and with the other skaters, they really excel at the artistic side of it, the spinning, the footwork, and he doesn't do that as well. so, he really needs to do the quad. >> of the five skaters that attempted a quad in the short program, he's the only one that successfully pulled it off. >> yes. and the other guys that did not do it successfully ended up in the double digits, but those guys who tried it in the short program, they do it on a regular basis. it's clockwork to them, so, they just happened to miss it. with him, it's clockwork to him as well, and you see other people like evan and people not trying it because it's not a consistent jump for them. >> but let's talk about him, because he wants to be the first american male since you to take home the gold, and it is not part of his program. >> right. >> so, what will we see from him tonight? he does a triple, not the quad. >> yeah. he does a triple axel. he's a very consistent skater. there's no one more consistent than him. he's a great competitor as well as plushenko. they really excel in that. they're the mentally strongest competitors in the competition. so, that's why i think it's going to come down to a great skate with evan, which i think that he's going to skate a clean program, and then plushenko, and plushenko will be doing the quad. if plushenko hits the quad and does a clean program, it will be hard for evan to beat. >> to beat that. what about takahashi, a combination of artistry and technical skill. didn't attempt the quad in the short but says he will attempt one now. >> which is not a smart move now. >> you don't think so? >> no, because if it's not consistent and you haven't been doing it for years coming into this competition, it's not a smart play. you should go clean. his strengths are his spinning, his footwork connective stuff and other triples. so, he should stick with that. we'll see how that turns out. >> and his teammate, oda right behind him in fourth place. does he stand a chance? >> yes. they all stand a chance. there's a line of seven, six guys that really could sneak in and get a medal, a bronze, maybe even a silver depending on how the first two guys skate. so, everybody is in contention. >> which makes it a great competition tonight. >> it will be very exciting. >> brian boitano, thank you very much. you're sticking around for a cooking segment. >> i'm cooking with you and having a cocktail. >> all right! of course, you can watch men's figure skating, the final live in primetime starting at 8:00/7:00 central time here on nbc. up next, the day's other marquee event, the women's halfpipe. can team usa sweep all three medals? we're going to ask them right after this. 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[ cellphones ringing, vibrating ] [ computer beeps ] get started at bank of america. >> announcer: "today's athlete to watch" is brought to you by p&g, proud sponsor of moms. and this morning on "today's athlete to watch," the women of the halfpipe. the u.s. has dominated this event ever since it was introduced back in salt lake city in 2002. on the men's side, shaun white continued that domination last night. and as nbc's kevin tibbles will show us, tonight the women get their turn. >> reporter: america's halfpipe dream team is set for high-flying on cypress mountain. and these fast friends and fierce competitors have a pretty solid history of collecting the hardware. >> this one for the fans here. >> reporter: hannah teter, gold medalist at the torino games. gretchen bleiler, silver medalist in torino, and kelly clark, gold medalist salt lake city. >> i think when we were going to the last olympics, hannah started calling us the dream team. she always reminds us of who we are and where we're going. >> reporter: but in vancouver, they faced some unexpected competition from half a world away. china's yu jiyu stunned everyone at the women's halfpipe world championship when she landed atop the podium. hannah teter says she's ready for it all. bring it on. who's the competition in vancouver? >> there's a lot of competition this year from the chinese riders, the japanese riders, mainly the u.s. riders are, i think, my hardest competition. kelly, gretchen. everyone's just looking really dialed in and really centered and really motivated. so, it's going to be a big year. >> does it put you in an uncomfortable position, the fact that the biggest competition you have happens to be your own teammates and your friends? >> it kind of makes it a little bit easier, because you know, we're up there helping each other out. >> reporter: and gretchen bleiler adds, it's about support and competition together. >> but i'm riding my best. i'm going to push kelly to ride her best and vice versa. so, i think it's always a better environment when the energy's up, we're supporting each other and we're in this together to push each other. >> reporter: push each other, they hope, to the top of the world. who's going to win? >> hmm, i don't know. >> you'll have to stay tuned. >> reporter: but the wait is almost over, because now it's show time. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, vancouver, british columbia. >> tina dixon covers snowboarding events for us at nbc sports. tina, good morning you. >> good morning. >> overall, this is a pretty packed field, isn't it? >> absolutely, absolutely, with i think the standouts being kelly clark, gretchen bleiler, hannah teter, but tora bright, don't count her out either. >> hannah teter took home the gold in salt lake city, fourth in torino. talk to me about her preparation and her chances of getting back on the podium. >> i think of all the ladies, she has really taken a step back and focused just on the fundamentals of snowboarding in general. she spends the summers in new zealand. she trains all year long. i think coming into this, after what happened in torino, she wants it. she wants to be on top again. >> gretchen bleiler, she had the silver in torino. how has her year been coming into these games? >> it's been -- well, the event before this, the x games, she had, i would say, the best run of her life that i've ever seen her do. so, she's coming in with a ton of momentum, obviously. but before that, it was hit or miss with her. >> all right. now, hannah teter is coming in here as the reigning olympic champion, and yet, perhaps not the favorite here. >> can't count hannah out, though. you can't count her out. she could probably pull something out. in torino she was hurt all up until the finals day and then she was on that day and she's even said so before. it's really kind of who's on that day. >> you talk about injuries. tora bright of australia, didn't she just come off an injury, a concussion or something like that? >> she did. she hit her head at practice at x games and went home. she's taken time to relax and regroup. but she says she's ready. >> what's the name of the chinese athlete again? we're both going back and forth on that. >> i knew you were going to ask that. liu xiaui. >> good for you. what are her chances here? >> you know, i talked to todd richards, the analyst for snowboarding, i talked to him about her and he said she could be a dark horse. she finished second in a practice run last year, so she could come in and upset the balance. >> when the judges look at this event, are they looking at only who technically lands these jumps the best? how much does style count in the overall judging? >> oh, it's a combination of everything. you definitely want to have the tricks, but you want to do them with style, and when i say that, like grabbing is really, really important and to be able to hold your tricks the whole way. so, they look at everything. >> all right. and so, what's going to determine the gold tonight? >> height, how high you're going, style, combination of tricks. something like tora can piece together tricks that no one else can, but someone like kelly can go bigger than everyone else. >> good to know. tina dixon, thanks very much. nice job on the chinese athlete's name as well. you can watch the women's halfpipe tonight on nbc sports primetime coverage of the olympics. right now let's go over to al. > thanks a lot, matt. hey, did you ever wonder what the 1010 winter olympics looked like? well, dreamworks animation is getting ready to release a new movie called "how to train your dragon," and they furnished us with their vision. >> many expect the vikings speed skating to be the gentlemen's sport. vikings speed skating was designed for the nordic nature lover. >> ah! >> the skier gets a chance to breathe fresh air and see the world. hey, what do you know? it's round. >> brought to you by dreamworks. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> dealing with problems on eastbound 100. if you travel there, considered 175 or 32. all eastbound lanes closed at gruntal bills boulevard. a jackknifed tractor-trailer. southbound liberty road, an accident coming in off to the side. heavy delay as there. eight miles per hour on average. this one clearing up at lombard and crescent. closures between st. paul and greenmount due to ongoing road work through the end of march. part of this is due to accident. we will look to the north side of harford road. volume-related delays towards dulaney valley on the outer loop. but we are hanging onto delays towards edmonson. accident on the shoulder. >> no problems in the weather department on this thursday morning. it should be smooth sailing. in the cloud cover hanging around, no precipitation. mid-thirties in most spots. 33 in parkton. 36 degrees in westminster. forecast today, a mixture of sunshine and clouds. average high temperature is 45. sunset at 5:47. seven-day forecast, good news for tomorrow as well. it should stay quiet for the weekend. maybe it snow flurries on saturday mixture of rain and snow on monday. >> we will have another update at 8:55. i always felt that politics was a great story and i wanted to cover the great story. there's a huge responsibility to be the person who holds people accountable. there's no other place that i'd like to be. ♪ 8:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 18th day of february 2010. that's meredith up there on the trampoline just across -- no, if you go in close, you will realize that is not meredith, but she will be doing it later. >> i will. >> live here on the show. >> are you really going to do that? >> of course, i would do that. you wouldn't do that? >> i don't think it would look good. >> you think. now you're a snazzy -- >> some of the fun we're having here at grouse mountain, our home away from home for the next couple of weeks for the winter olympics here in vancouver, british columbia. out by the fire pit, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker, ann curry and natalie morales. and what's coming up? we're going to be talking about a team uniform that everyone is talking about. the norwegian curling team decided to make a bold statement with remarkably loud pants. check them out, folks. we'll get the story behind those pants. >> that's right. >> coming up. and speaking of wild, wait until you see what happened last night when stephen colbert paid a visit to the nbc primetime set. >> oh, wow. >> i'm sure that was fantastic. we're going to take a look at that. also, we just heard him weigh in on tonight's figure skating competition. we're talking about brian boitano. well, coming up, he's going into the kitchen to cook for us. >> he's a chef. >> and he has some golden recipes. >> sounds good. first, we want to remind you about the chance to go behind the scenes here at grouse. just head to our website, todayshow.com, and click on "today in 360." you can see what we see live during the broadcast. and today, by the way, is the last day that this 360 camera thing is going to be available. so, for all the stalkers out there, go and logon now and check us out now. >> it's a demographic we're really trying to impress. >> exactly. >> we are leading in that group, by the way, no question about it. meanwhile, before we go any further, let's bring in "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager in. >> hey, jenna. >> jenna had one of the hottest tickets in town last night. she got to go to the halfpipe. jenna, good morning. >> yes, good morning, guys. i did. i got to go to the halfpipe last night, had the hottest ticket in town. i got to interview shaun white, his family and his idol, tony hawke. >> shaun goes into his double cork rotation, 2 1/2 flips. >> reporter: coming into these games, shaun white was known as the flying tomato. today he wants to be known as animal. and after wednesday, he might have earned the title as the greatest snowboarder ever. back in 2006 in torino, he wowed the world with his tricks, winning the gold. the dominant halfpipe snowboarder of his generation came into the vancouver olympics with as much pressure as anyone. >> yeah, there's a bit of nerves. there's a bit of excitement mixed with that. >> reporter: a sentiment shared by his sister, carrie. how are you feeling right now? >> really, really nervous. >> reporter: and when you watch him snowboard, what are you thinking? >> i'm landing it for him. >> reporter: but shaun white's dad said he was ready. >> well rested and ready to go. >> reporter: white didn't disappoint. he nailed the first qualifying run, finishing in first place. white's mentor and idol, skateboard legend tony hawke, wasn't surprised. >> he seemed confident, seemed happy. and obviously, by his riding, just like his first run, seemed like he wasn't really having any trouble. >> reporter: clearly the best of his class, white made difficult tripping, twisting jumps look easy as he soared far above the 22-foot halfpipe. after his first run in the finals, white had a big lead on the rest of the pack. so when american scotty lago faltered, white knew the gold was his. >> i knew i had already won. i'm standing at the top, my hands are shaking, i can't even focus joir focus. >> reporter: with nothing to lose, white took a victory lap down the halfpipe, giving the fans a show. >> the double mctwist 1260. i knew i had more to put down and i'm working and breaking myself to learn this trick and perfect it, and i felt like i came all the way out here, i don't want to leave anything out. i put it down. >> reporter: defending his olympic title and winning another gold for team usa and making his family and mentor proud. how much of this do you owe to them? >> i feel like i owe it all to them and i'm so happy that they're here. i'm so happy that i was able to deliver and make them proud and it's just a crazy moment. >> well, you made america proud. thank you so much. >> thank you, thank you, thank you! >> had to get the hug. >> got a hug in there. >> very nice. >> all the cameramen were very jealous that i got the hug. i was going to ask him for a piece of his hair for good luck, but that was one step too far. talk about stalker. >> all right, jenna, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> lucky you. >> all right, mr. roker, let's talk about the weather. why not? >> also should mention, jenna's jacket is from her mom. she wore it in torino. >> hi, mom. >> oh. >> that's nice. >> say hello to your mom, and your dad and your sister and your husband -- >> and her grandparents and your husband. >> and your pets! all right, let's check your weather, see what's going on, and we'll see as far as the weekend is concerned, for saturday, sunshine up and down the east coast, rain in southern california, rain also down in texas, sunny and frigid across the plains. then sunday, sunday, we're looking at more sunshine as you work your way along the eastern seaboard. sunshine continues in the pacific northwest. more rain in the >> expect a couple clouds hanging on today. very little in the way of precipitation. at a slight chance for coupled snow flurries, but most of you will not see that. and that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, when we come back, we're going to talk about the wild and crazy uniforms that have become the talk of the vancouver games. but first, this is "today" on nbc. what's getting a lot of buzz here in vancouver? i'm talking about the downright crazy pants worn by the men's curling team from norway. they are the pants heard around the world, a bold fashion choice by the men's norwegian curling team, which has blogs abuzzing and fans in vancouver talking. >> seeing them from the ice, they're getting a lot of attention. it's part of the sport psychology. the creative pants. >> i think they were just wild, fantastic. curling generally has pretty state outfits, so i loved it when i saw them. >> it brings a little bit of color and distinction to them. >> i personally think it's a fashion disaster. >> not since "saturday night live" has so much attention been focused on such wild and crazy pants. so what prompted them to move from basic black to technicolor? >> i was trying to find pants in our norwegian colors, red, white and blue. a week before the olympics, i found these pants we're wearing now. >> reporter: he found them on a website called loud mouth golf, which is also a destination for golfer john daly. >> they're stretchy and it's a warm fabric, and they're nice to play in. >> reporter: so nice, the team wears two different color combinations. >> that's a wild print, that diamond shape and the bright color? i loved it. >> if this makes younger people start curling in other countries, that's just superb. >> i approve. two thumbs up. >> so, i mean, we had to try these. what do you think? it's a fashion statement -- what are you doing -- >> who will wear these pants? >> golfers. >> i like them. >> matt likes them! >> i like them. >> yeah! >> in fact, they are -- >> we're wearing these pants -- >> john daly's wearing them. >> would you seriously? >> absolutely. >> you are such a liar. >> i am going to play golf this summer in these at 11:00 at night. >> well, you know what? the norwegian team had these on the first game they lost to canada, but they won their second game against the usa. >> and it doesn't just have to be pants, so we could wear kilts. >> sliding on the ice like that is this. >> sliding on the ice. wow. there's a breeze! >> you don't wear anything under a kilt, so that's bad. >> well, you might have a rule change there. >> oh, okay. anyway, i think it's interesting that they did it. i thought it was kind of fun. >> they have banned some outfits in the past, but apparently, these got in under the wire. >> that's right. >> which is cool, anyway. when we come back, you've got a minute to win it. we'll have more on that and much more from grouse mountain from vancouver, british columbia. forget about the glory of skating, speed skating or snowboarding for a moment. guy fieti, host of a new nbc primetime show called "minute it to win it" says his program is where you'll soon find the real competition. it's all about regular folks competing for big bucks. guy, good morning. nice to see you. >> thank you, much. thank you. >> now, i know you as the food guy, as the chef. >> yeah. >> exactly, you're a chef. so, did you always want to host a game show? >> i think if you would have asked outside of food what could i do -- i mean, you've got this locked down, so what would i do? game show would be up there, but it has to be the right level of competition. >> this is a little quirky, and what i was reading about this, you don't have to have any special skills. you don't have to be the "a" student from harvard to compete in this. >> exactly. >> average joes can compete in this. >> that's the whole idea behind it. you're talking about the games that once you see a game, you say, wait a second, i can do that. take all of the tissues out of a box in 60 seconds. go ahead and time me. >> you're getting ahead of me here. hanky panky is one of the challenges. just describe them. and it's clean. it's completely clean. >> the names are fantastic, by the way. all of our game inventors came up with these great names. so, hanky panky. in 60 seconds, remove all the tissues out of a box. you might think simple, but tiring. >> and with one hand. >> one hand. >> the next is an egg roll challenge. what do you have to do there? >> using a pizza box -- >> why a pizza box? >> i don't know. >> all right. >> fan three eggs across the stage. >> can't touch them. >> can't touch them. and if you smash the eggs, it's over. into a square and you have to stop them. it sounds crazy. once you do it, you're addicted. >> face the cookie is another challenge? >> put the cookie, put the oreo cookie on your forehead and wiggle your forehead and down your cheek into your mouth, and i'm not kidding you, playing with your food is legal. >> i almost made the olympic team in that event. i really did. >> i'm not kidding you. >> i've been doing that my whole life. so, if you don't complete the task in 60 seconds -- >> you have three lives, so, as a matter of fact, i think when we do the celebrity challenge for charity, we should get you out there to do this. >> i'll do face the cookie. >> well, it's not just -- you don't get to pick. we have 65 games -- >> see, that's hard. >> you get ten games going for $1 million. >> i may not be interested then. i want face the cookie. >> all right, face the cookie will be your first one. >> all right, cool. >> so you win $1,000 light off the bat. >> anyone can do this, and if you complete the task in 60 seconds, how much do you win? >> well, it goes to $1,000, then $2,500, $5,000, $10,000, then up. if you get to $50,000, you can lock it in. so you get to keep the $50,000. but we've got everything from school teachers to firemen to hairdressers coming out to compete in this. wait until you see it. >> just real quick to wrap things up, food. i mentioned food at the beginning. thank goodness we're in one of the greatest eating cities. have you gotten out? >> i've been seeing all the events. i saw speed skating and was thrown away. >> cool, cool. guy, good luck with the show. >> thanks so much. >> the premier of "minute to win it" airs sunday, march 14th at 7:00 on nbc. up next, this morning in "today's olympic kitchen," golden recipes from a gold medal winner. we asked brian boitano, the gold medal champ in men's figure skating at the 1988 calgary games to stick around because he's a contributor to the "food network" magazine and host of "what would brian boitano make?" good morning once again. >> good morning. i'm excited. >> you're a good italian boy. >> this is from a spread i did in "food network" magazine about how to entertain for an olympic party and the idea was really easy recipes and present it in a way that would be fun for the olympics. >> i like the word easy. let's start with the appetizer. >> definitely. this is my roasted cauliflower dip. >> oh, nice. >> it's basically roasted cauliflower and apples with a nice crunchy bread crumb topping, mixed with pancetta as well. now, you and i are going to make a garlicky white bean dip. >> excellent. >> i have catalini beans here. >> pepper? >> a red pepper, yep, basil and parsley. mix that together. >> mix this up. >> while you do that in a food processor i'm going to combine my lemon juice, garlic -- >> have to have garlic. >> okay. a little salt? >> salt. a little pepper. i'm going to pulse this together. >> olive oil. >> get the olive oil like the good italian boy i am. all right, just pulse that up. >> all right. >> and then you plate it a little in -- look at these little mountain bowls that i have. >> that's adorable! the snow-capped mountains. very clever. >> the olympics, the mountains. you can see lindsey vonn skiing in the background there. okay, so, you put the -- >> a little bit of this garnish, almost. >> exactly. and then you top it off with the beans. so you get the two different textures coming together and it's delicious. >> beautiful, and with pita bread or whatever you want. >> veggies. it's very healthy. >> now you need seafood, obviously. >> the northwest is known for their oyster. we have a minunet sauce, but my twist is a blood orange in here. and then i have crab. >> crab, we love crab. >> with aioli, and then i have a wisabi cocktail sauce. it's very spicy because i did wisabi as well as horse radish. >> very nice. that's good. >> i know, delicious. i told you it's spicy! wisabi and horse radish. >> it's good. >> but look, the presentation -- you could do this at home with -- oh, you're going to do that cocktail. this is the gold slagger cocktail with dark rum, lemon juice and orange vitters. but i put these on little ice blocks. you could put these at home with regular ice blocks. >> it's beautiful. so the display is everything. >> it's a raw bar. then here i have our little pastrami sandwiches with herb butter on the outside. pastrami with thousand island, and then i put little toothpicks in them. >> but if you like tuna, you could do tuna or little grilled cheese or whatever you want. >> if you're an italian boy, you could do tomato and mozzarella, anything you want. and i put the little flags -- >> exactly. >> those are great. >> we're running out of time for dessert. this is baked vancouver. i love that. >> lovely. we're going to top it off -- it's sort of baked alaska meets the olympic torch. >> oh, light it. light it. >> you light this on fire, yes. that needs to work. hold on. hold on. okay, there. >> oh, that's beautiful! >> so, you can see it. see the little purple flame? >> i do see the little purple flame. >> then you blow it out. and this is just pound cake and ice cream and meringue, and this is your cocktail. >> we've got to go. >> gold schlager, baby. >> thank brian boitano. i'm going to have the whole thing. now to the guys outside. >> meredith, brian, thank you very much. we have kind of strange hours here in vancouver, so you can't blame us for missing what happened last night when stephen colbert paid a visit to bob costas during the primetime coverage of the olympics. take a look. >> you know what? the olympics are about brotherhood, and i don't know if you have brothers -- >> i didn't. a sister. >> you did? >> i didn't. i said i didn't. i had a sister. >> so, tell me about your brother. >> i just said i didn't have a brother. >> you're ruining my narrative, bob. >> would you like to -- >> does everything have to be true for nbc? don't you make anything up to make the story better? i know you faked lindsey vonn's injury. i know you faked that to make a better story. don't tell me you didn't, buddy. >> earlier today -- >> yes. >> -- to be shown next week, i appeared on your program. so, this is one of the reciprocal appearance -- >> i thank you for that. you're a great man. to ride a stuffed moose. look at this. i'll bet that moose smelled great. >> listen to this. >> look at the crowd. listen to the crowd! i think you're actually a citizen of canada now. do you mind if i warm up? >> why don't you toast some marshmallows back there? >> sit by the fire? oh, oh, oh, oh, this is so nice. [ laughter ] it's really lovely in here. oh. you know, it's the authenticity. >> yeah, that's what i strive for. >> that i really appreciate about nbc. >> completely authentic. >> everything's real. >> see, now bob has a fake fireplace. our fireplace is real. >> real! >> you would not want to try that. try that, stephen colbert, try that here. >> come use our fire pit, colbert! just ahead, we're going to remember shaun white's visit here to the "today" show a couple hours ago. but first, some stunning images of these olympic winter games, and these are courtesy of the folks at getty images. they always catch your attention. >> so nice. >> and we've had a lot to be proud of over the last 24 hours. six medals yesterday. here's a look at what's happened. ♪ ♪ >> live, local, latebreaking. this is the bpol tv 11 news today in baltimore. the bba -- ought to be 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. making a trip is still a nightmare for some on their first aipac. students build bus delays -- first day back. students dealt with boss delays. many committed in faced a long -- many who made it in faced a long ride home. >> now let's look to the forecast with tony pann. >> the weather should be quiet on this thursday. a mixture of clouds and sunshine, but no precipitation. weather should be war or the last couple of days. -- warmer than the last couple of days. sunsets at 5:47. seven-day forecast, good news there as well. tomorrow will be a nice day, with a high temperature in the 40's. generally quiet over the weekend. earlier next week, there will be trouble. a mixture of rain and snow on monday and will end as pure snow monday night and tuesday morning. >> another update at 9:25. oh, no! yeah, oh, no, i got to go. oh, can you make that to-go? these days, nobody has time to get sick, but minute clinic makes it easy to get well. our nurse practitioners can diagnose and write prescriptions for everything from strep throat to sinus infections, with no appointment necessary, so you can feel better in no time. you guys want to go to the park? yeah! yeah! minute clinic -- the medical clinic inside cvs/pharmacy. find one near you at minuteclinic.com.