Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100219

♪ good morning. evan almighty. >> evan lysacek with the skate of his life! lysacek wins the gold! >> on the biggest night of his skating life, evan lysacek out-duels reigning olympic champ evgeny plushenko to win gold in men's figure skating, america's first in that event in 22 years. and after dazzling the world last night, he's charming the crowd here on grouse mountain today, friday, february 19th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a friday morning, as we take a beautiful look down at the city of vancouver from high atop grouse mountain. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. and i was at the finals last night to see evan win the gold medal, and may i just say for the record, yes! it's so great! it was so great! >> you're giddy, even if you didn't get any sleep. >> i got two hours. evan's here. he got no sleep. he's a little bit dazed. he's saying hi to the crowd. we'll talk to him in a minute. you know, there was so much talk about the quad and that you needed a quad in order to get the gold. he didn't need the quad. he never performed one and won without it. he wowed the judges with an artistic routine that brought the crowd to its feet. evgeny plushenko landed one quad, but it wasn't enough to overtake lysacek's style and grace. just over one point separated gold and silver. we'll talk to evan about the competition and what is next for him in a moment. >> we're looking forward to that. we're also joined by ann curry and al roker out here by our fire pit. it was also a big day on thursday for u.s. skier julia mancuso. her silver in the super combined tied her with bode miller as the most decorated u.s. skier in olympic history. we'll check in with her. checking the medal count, team usa has 18. six of those are gold, five silver, seven bronze. germany in second with 11. norway is in third with eight. >> okay. also ahead, there's other news besides the olympics. this morning we finally are going to hear from tiger woods. he is scheduled to speak publicly for the first time about the sex scandal that led him to sex rehab. that's going to take place at 11:00 this morning eastern time. we will have special, live coverage when he talks. and just ahead, we'll tell you why a lot of people are upset about the way this whole event is being handled. all right, but let's get caught up on the latest olympic news. ann has the recap. and evan lysacek, story at the top. >> that's right. as you pointed out, especially you, meredith, all eyes were on figure skating last night, and american evan lysacek delivered a performance of his career, becoming the first american man since brian boitano to win gold. that's in 1988. >> beautiful combination to open his routine. >> reporter: evan's heaven. lysacek towered over his competition and struck gold in vancouver. while he has said his style is modern and simple, on thursday night he was simply the best. >> evan lysacek with the skate of his life! >> i'll always remember that skate. this is the greatest night of my life. i'll never forget it. >> reporter: the american beat russian evgeny plushenko, who looked terse on the stand after skating with few flaws to finish in second. daisuke takahashi of japan took the bronze. >> costume problem. >> reporter: in an interesting moment, japan's nobunari oda broke a lace on his skate. >> a skater has three minutes' time to address the problem. >> reporter: he came back to complete his performance and placed fourth. at the olympics, anything can happen, and after winning gold in the downhill, lindsey vonn did not finish in the combined. >> whoa! >> and that was a hooked tip. >> reporter: but it was another strong showing for american julia mancuso, who took home the silver. >> that will give her another medal, her second of these games. >> reporter: at the halfpipe, hannah teter also won silver and kelly clark captured the bronze for team usa. they shared an embrace with gold medal-winning australian torah bright during their flower ceremony. also last night, shaun white received his gold medal. doing his best jimi hendrix, white stood next to his teammate, scotty lago, who accepted the bronze. a similar scene when shani davis was awarded his medal, gold in speed skating. >> save! >> reporter: still with high hopes for another gold, the host country breathed a sigh of relief after a dramatic win in hockey, beating switzerland in a shoot-out. now for today's athletes to watch. we've got tanith belbin and ben agosto. they begin their quest for ice dancing gold. we've got alpine skiers bode miller and ted ligety competing in the men's super-g and american noel pikus-pace is in fifth after two runs of women's skeleton, and the final two heats are today. and now, here's meredith. >> ann, thank you very much. and here he is, the first u.s. man to win figure skating gold in 22 years, not since brian boitano, evan lysacek. evan, congratulations to you. >> thank you so much. >> has it sunk in, olympic champion? >> oh, it hasn't even started to, but you know, what i'm really excited about was the performance. that's what i came here to do, was do my job and have, hopefully, my best skate in the most important moment of my life. and i'll never forget it, and hopefully, this medal will start to sink in. but right now i'm just ecstatic about the whole night. >> i remember when we talked about a month ago back in new york city and we talked about torino, where you came in fourth. and you said you realized at that point it wasn't enough to just come back to an olympics. you need to get on that podium. >> yeah, i think i have to thank the guys from torino who medaled, because watching them climb up on the podium and receive their medals was more inspiration than i ever had, and it drove me and was definitely a driving force in my life over the course of the last four years. to not just be up there to be standing on top and seeing my flag go up and hear my national anthem, it felt like a split second. it was went so quickly. and i think now i'll just go back and watch that video -- >> yeah, over and over. it will be in a loop in your house. >> totally just relive it. >> let's talk about the performance, because you were the first to go in the final group, the first to skate. that's a nerve-racking position to be in, really. and a lot of people say it's the hardest position to go first. were you nervous? >> first is tough and last is really tough, too, and evgeny went last and did an awesome job. but for me, i was, you know, i was nervous until about an hour before, and then my coach like had just the right words to tell me to calm me down and -- >> what did he say to you? frank carroll, as we all know. >> yeah. he's a great psychologist and he kept reminding me that, like, you can't worry about the outcome, because your best, it might be good enough for silver, it might be good enough for bronze. it might be good enough to win, but you know, all i could do is my job, and if i got wrapped up in that other stuff, it's not a healthy thought process. so, once i just got the focus back to what my job was and tried to do what i do in training every day, then i got calm and i knew i could do it. >> you know, there was so much talk, we mentioned before, about doing a quad, not doing a quad. your chief competitor, plushenko, did do one in both the short program and the long program. you made it clear early on you were not going to do one. did you ever question that decision? did you ever think, geez, i really should? >> well, i spent so much time perfecting every step between that starting pose and that ending pose, and it's a 4 minute and 40-second program and you're really gaining with every single step. so, for me, i spent, you know, countless hours working on some of the most mundane moves in skating, but i knew that the base of my program was really strong, and with the jumps and spins added and combine that total, i would be okay. and so, you know, i felt confident. of course, i questioned it at times and thought maybe i should go for it. it's the olympics. but at the same time, i still had a really difficult program and i was happy with the way i performed it. >> well, i was a nervous reck. i was like your mother in the stands. i was a nervous wreck, and you were brilliant, but the moment was at the end when you suddenly pumped your fists in the air and you went "yes, yes, yes!" what's going through your mind at that point? >> i couldn't even control it. i don't even know. my body was doing its own thing. but you almost can't believe it, when you've done it a thousand times in practice or hundreds of thousands of times and that time that it really counts that you've pulled it off, it's a great feeling. i was really emotional for the short, because that was sort of like my first step at this olympics. but this whole event has just been a dream, and the audience has been incredible. >> woo! >> i love the ice. yes, canadians. >> the thing -- you had to wait and five other skaters went after you. did you watch them skate, particularly plushenko? >> yeah. you know, it's not often -- because usually, it goes in reverse order of the short. >> right. >> so, i actually had the opportunity to pull up a seat and become a spectator in the event and watch these other guys. >> you wanted to watch them? >> yeah. no, i've competed against these guys for years and they're friends of mine, i admire them. they're incredible, incredible competitors and great talents. and you know, just to sort of take a seat and cheer them on was a really cool, cool experience for me and it made me feel like i was more part of the olympics. >> and when plushenko came out on the ice and performed, did you know at the end of that that you had it won, or did you -- we all -- there was a hush over the audience, because we didn't know who was going to get the gold. >> you know what, i didn't know, and i turned back to frank, my coach, and i said i don't care, if it's gold or silver. it was a winning performance for me. >> you really didn't care? >> it was a personal victory. in that moment, i didn't care. >> how about in the moment when you found out it was you? >> and then i didn't want to go back. then i didn't. no, it's unbelievable. it's so special, and to join names like brian boitano, scott hamilton, kristi yamaguchi, just like some of my idols in the sport and people that have given me so much inspiration, you know, it's an honor. >> and for your coach, frank carroll as well, he has coached many great, great skaters, but you're his first olympic gold medal winner. what do you want to say to him? >> you know, that was actually my first thought was my coach, who's been working for this olympic gold longer than i've been alive. so, to be able to give it to him, and now the u.s. rewards coaches with a medal as well, and for him to have such a great olympic games this time around, you know, it's like a dream come true. >> i want to remind the folks here that you got your first pair of skates at 8 years old? >> i was 8. >> your grandmother gave them to you? >> yeah, that's correct. >> and you were a lousy skater, right? really bad. >> yeah, you had me beat by a mile. >> yeah, back then. what does your family mean to you in terms of their support over the years to get to this point? >> you know, i just kept thinking here i want to make my family proud, and it's funny that, you know, with the olympics, the crowds and the media and everything else that's going on that really, that is just my first driving factor, making my family and friends and coaches proud, the people that have been behind me. and i know what i've sacrificed and they've sacrificed and worked and given, you know, just as much. so, this gold medal belongs to them. it belongs to my coaches, and you know, my family, for sure. >> you know, the last time we talked in new york, we talked about one of your skating heroes. i want to show you a little bit of that tape. >> okay. >> you're tall for a skater. how tall are you? 6'1"? >> i'm just under 6'2". for a long time, i didn't feel comfortable with that and i just wanted to look like the other guys and be short. >> you wanted to be like scott hamilton? >> i wanted to be just like scott, and i still do. >> well, scott's here, by the way. >> is he here? >> he's coming in. he has something he wants to say to you, something to present to you. hey, scott. >> you have an exhibition coming up. i thought you might need this. >> oh, my god. >> tell everybody, scott -- >> thank you. >> i'm so proud of you. >> thanks. >> that was awesome. >> wow. >> what does it mean to you to watch him skate? >> you know, i'm supposed to be impartial and i am, you know, somewhat. i just wanted the best skater to win of the night. that's all i cared about, you know? they talk about the new system, they talk about this. as long as the best skater of the night wins, that's all that matters, and the best skater of the night won. >> sure did. >> it was an amazing thing. and evan and i have been friends for years and i think of all the times -- and we had lunch together about seven years ago, and all i could think about today -- i might get a little emotional -- is helen and what this would have meant to her. and it was someone who helped us both. she was like a mother to me. >> who's helen? >> she's a lady that loved figure skating and would help people without financial means to stay in it. i wouldn't have been able to skate without her and i know she helped you a great deal as well and she's been in my heart and my mind and thinking about you and how far you've comeextraord. no one works harder, no one put the time in more and no one deserves this more than evan lysacek. >> and i want to explain, what is this outfit? this is what you wore when? >> this is my first outfit, my first -- it's got shoulder pads. >> oh, padding! the lightning bolt, huh? >> my lucky lightning bolt, yeah. >> you've grown up a lot since then, right? when you were wearing -- >> it fit me! >> yeah? when you were wearing that back then as a kid, do you think one day, one day i'll be standing here with this? >> no, i didn't. >> no. okay, that blew that right -- >> i mean, i wanted it, but you know, it takes so much hard work to really believe it, and to have the confidence to go out there and do it in the heat of the moment, it was just -- you know, i'll never forget it. that's what made this so special. scott -- i mean, everyone's been talking this last year about the curse of the world champion and how going into the olympics as the world champion is the curse and no one ever wins, and scott is the one person saying but every american has done it. >> every american has done it. >> they've done it over and over again and i thought those words in my head today before i went out. i really, really did. >> wow. >> well, you did it. congratulations, evan. scott, thank you so much. scott, you'll be back next half hour to break down the performances for us. >> absolutely. >> and i know your mom and dad are going to be with us as well, along with the rest of your family. >> all right. >> so, evan lysacek, congratulations. >> olympic champion. >> there he is, folks. now i'll toss it over to matt. >> all right, meredith, thank you very much. another athlete's going to be in the spotlight today for a much different reason. later this morning, tiger woods will make his first public statement on camera about those affairs that were revealed following that infamous thanksgiving night crash. but not everyone is happy with how the statement will be made. nbc's kerry sanders is at tpc saw grass in ponte vedra beach, florida, where tiger will talk. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, matt. tiger speaks today, and we have a little insight as to why he's talking now. he's been in sex therapy, and apparently, one of the steps to recovery is to apologize to those he's wronged. i spent a little time up at the tpc clubhouse to see where he's going to speak. there's lots of security. the room he's going to be in is sealed off. joining him will be some friends, at least three reporters, possibly his family. while they will see him face to face, the one thing he has said, he is not going to answer questions. 34-year-old tiger woods will go on camera at 11:00 a.m. eastern, and whatever he says will be broadcast worldwide. perhaps the most famous athlete in the world since muhammad ali. it's not only what tiger says, but attention is focused on the visual, who is or is not standing by his side, specifically, wife elin nordgren, married to tiger for more than five years. witnesses tell nbc news she's still not wearing her wedding ring. golf fans have differing expectations today. >> i think i would like to see her there. i would like -- >> reporter: you want to see her standing next to him? >> yes, and i would like to hear a heartfelt apology from tiger. >> it doesn't matter. i want to hear when he's coming back to golf so i can watch him play golf. >> reporter: you want him to say? >> that he's sorry for what he's done to her as well as the golf community. >> reporter: thanksgiving weekend tiger crashed his car into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home, the night his wife allegedly found text messages on his phone from another woman. the accident unraveled the secret life, when more than a dozen women came forward claiming they had had affairs with tiger. and while he's never named the women he was with, he acknowledged his infidelity in early december with a message posted on his website that read, "i have let my family down and i regret those transgressions with all my heart." today, in the same way tiger controls the ball on the golf course, he will control his appearance. he's invited a half dozen reporters and some friends, but all have been told no questions. the pga commissioner says tiger's decision to talk now is part of his treatment for sex addiction. tiger checked out of a mississippi treatment center just four days ago. what's unclear is how much tiger's lawyers and agent will let him say. >> whether this is truly heartfelt or not may not be as important as whether it feels heartfelt. >> reporter: laura bloom wrote the book "the art of the apology." >> i wish he had done this three months ago, but certainly, he still can apologize. we can still forgive him, but he's going to have to persuade america that he's genuinely sorry. >> reporter: a source tells nbc news that when elin went to bed last night, she had decided she was not going to come. i'm told this morning that tiger continues to ask her to change her mind. matt? >> all right, kerry sanders in florida this morning. thank you, kerry. let's bring in mike lupikus, sports columnist with the "daily news," back in our new york studio. mike, good morning to you. >> hey, matt. >> hey, i want to read you a portion of that statement that tiger woods released back on the 2nd of december of last year. sunday he said no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there's an important principle at stake, which is the measure of personal privacy. personal sin should not mean press releases or public confessions." that was in december. what has changed? >> well, i mean that was about ten girlfriends ago. listen, matt, i think he's got one job today, above all the others, because this is a different form of rehappen before he gets on to the rehab of winning golf tournaments. he's got to convince everybody that he feels remorse for something other than getting caught. and once he gets past that, then you know, i've got a friend who when he shows up to play golf says where's the first team, what's the course record? his real rehab of his image and his brand, he thinks, is that it's going to be when he starts winning golf tournaments again. >> what about the fact that he will not accept or take questions today? how's that going to sit with members of the media and the general public out there? >> i think if you're going to do this, you've got to sit there and answer questions the way mcguire did, the way alex rodriguez did. by the way, i'm not one of the people who feels he owes us an apology, but if you're going to put yourself in this setting, then you've got to take questions. because he and his agent, mark steynberg, apparently still think they're in control here, that they can establish some sort of high ground and you've got to ask them, what movie have you been watching? >> this apology, mike, is obviously a step along the road to getting back on the golf course, which you just talked about. the first major tournament of the year is the masters. that's coming up about seven weeks from now. is it likely we'll see him at augusta? >> you know, just from a golf point of view, matt, you know this. i mean, this was supposed to be a dream year for him in regards to the majors. he's got the masters, which he's won multiple times. the open's going to be at pebble beach, which he won by 9,000 strokes. then he goes to st. andrews for the british open. so, this was setting up his pursuit of jack nicklaus beautifully, and until we find out that he had been leading this dumb, reckless, frat boy life. and today, whatever he says, he's got to convince people that he genuinely feels that he's hurt somebody other than himself, because as you've watched this thing play out, he feels real bad mostly about what happened to him. >> well, real quickly, though, if he does make his first stop back on the tour or first tournament back, the masters at augusta, it would make sense, wouldn't it? because the galleries at augusta are considered not only the most knowledgeable in golf, but probably the most polite in golf. so, he might not face cat calls or heckling that he could face elsewhere. >> yeah. matt, he's going to be in one kind of cocoon today by doing this at the pga tour, you know, their headquarters. and then, i think he'll probably come back and play arnold palmer's tournament to get ready for the masters, because you know, then he gets a big hug from the king and then he goes into what would be a dream setting. you know, it's funny, i really wonder sometimes how much the masters wants his big return to be there, because i don't know if they want the circus to come to town. >> may be a good point. mike lupica. mike, thanks for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> okay, matt. >> all right, and you can see tiger's statement live coming up at 11:00 a.m. eastern time right >> a pretty nice morning this morning. it read our shows a big area of high pressure will favor us with a good conditions today and hold stormy mother of three the forecast they will see plenty of sunshine. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> all right, thanks, al. evan, one last question -- will you be in sochi in four years for the olympics, yes or no? >> i don't know if i'm welcome in russia for a little while. >> oh, because you beat the russian? >> i'm kidding. i'd love to be there. >> we'd love to have you there. thank you, evan. >> thanks. >> bring the gold, as well. this is "today" on nbc. imagine if your kid just won the gold medal. we're going to talk to evan lysacek's parents, coming up. also, look out below. meredith, al, ann and i risk our lives eight stories above the streets of vancouver. richard? smucker. (announcer) when your name is smucker everyone knows you'll grow up to make the world's best jam. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. let's get that check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> unfortunately, dealing with black ice in many areas. we have accidents to prove it. southbound 295 on the ramp to westbound 198, accident still being cleared their breed another one on eastbound 100 at i-97 off the ramp. that is where you're going to seek extra icy conditions. caton avenue and i-95, and one at coldspring lane, blocking the two right lanes now. another one at york in industry than and cockeysville. a disabled vehicle to watch for on the southbound harrisburg expressway on mount carmel. you can see to what 95 and 92, -- hundred 95 and 92. 97 at 100, looks like we have found the accident there. it may be blocking all lanes on the ramp from eastbound 100 to southbound 97. we will keep posted on how that impacts traffic. as far as the rest of the major roads, normal delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> nice for the morning. -- nice fairweather morning. this is what will fit for us to do with good weather conditions. there will be some clouds. it will be breezy like yesterday. 41 to 45 for the high. a few more clouds to the north and northwest. temperatures will only be in the thirties today. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update at 7:55. ♪ 7:30 now on this friday morning, the 19th of february 2010. hard to believe that we have been here at vancouver's grouse mountain for an entire week. i'm meredith vieira along with matt, al and ann. and just ahead, team usa picked up two medals in last night's women's halfpipe competition, the silver and the bronze, but an australian won the gold. we'll talk to the u.s. ladies of the halfpipe in just a minute. thursday was a very nice day for julia mancuso, also, the u.s. alpine skier. she got a silver in the super combined. that's her third overall medal, and it ties her with bode miller as the most decorated u.s. alpine skier. we're going to find out more about her great run when we talk to julia. >> and i know, meredith, you were there to see it live, but now coming up, we're going to have a closer look at this thrilling battle on the ice between evan lysacek and russian evgeny plushenko. that's right. and we always like to do smingz together when we go on trips likes these. well, this time it was a little bit of a nail-biter. we were eight stories up -- >> a nightmare. >> -- over beautiful downtown vancouver zip-lining. would anybody chicken out? did we all survive? well, obviously, we did. but we'll show you the details, coming up. all right, but first, let's bring in the silver and bronze medalist from the women's halfpipe, hannah teter and kelly clark. ladies, congratulations. >> hi, kelly, good to see you. >> great job! nice going. hannah, two-time olympic snowboard medalist, gold in torino, silver here. how does it feel? >> amazing! >> yeah. >> it's so much fun. such a blast. the pipe was epic. >> it was epic! >> kelly, your turn. two-time olympic medalist as well, gold in salt lake city and a bronze here. does it feel different this time? >> you know, it's great having placed just outside of the medals in torino to come back years later and come back on the podium again. i think sometimes when you work hard for something you appreciate it more, so this is real special to me. >> it's pretty amazing. and you guys have an amazing comradery, isn't that right, between you guys? >> we're pals. we're close. >> so, you're rooting for each other as you're going. >> yes. it's a unique sport. we're all friends out there, wanting to do our best, but there's a unique tension. >> how did the conditions change in the halfpipe from the beginning of the week to yesterday? >> they got way better. we showed up and we were like, we can work with this, then it got good. and today was fun and sunny and warm. >> how do you handle the pressure, second run in particular, when usually everything is on the line and you're dropping into the halfpipe knowing that? how do you each deal with pressure? kelly? >> you know, i kind of stick to the plan, regardless of what's going on around me. i try to stay focused on what i'm doing and not so much what's going on around me, and that usually helps me out. you know, falling my first run yesterday was not the plan, but i was able to come back -- >> you sure did. >> -- and have a great run and i was really happy. >> hannah, how about you? >> i get in the zone. >> you do? >> i visualize a lot and see it perfectly in my mind and then try to imitate what i see. >> now, are you guys going to stick around in the village wearing your medals and see some of the other competition some. >> yeah. we're excited to get our medals, tonight, i guess. >> yeah. >> you guess? come on! >> don't miss that. >> we haven't really slept yet, so the days kind of blur together, but yeah, we're going to stay around and catch some events and it's going to be a really fun time. >> well, enjoy tonight. >> congratulations. thanks for staying up late. we really appreciate it. >> usa! >> let's go back to new york now. amy robach is standing by at the news desk with the headlines of the morning. how are you doing? >> doing great. good morning, everyone. two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of an irs building in texas after a man with a grudge crashed his plane into the building thursday. nbc's tom costello joins us with more on the story. tom, good morning. >> reporter: hi, amy, good morning. the bodies appear to be those of the pilot and an irs worker who was missing. investigators believe andrew joseph stack set out to attack that local irs office, and we have that live video, the live picture of that office right now. he left behind a suicide note that rages against the government. the earliest home video shows the echelon office building in austin engulfed in flames as hundreds of people rush to get out. >> we heard the explosion and we looked out over here and the siding of this building had fallen down. >> reporter: investigators believe 53-year-old andrew joseph stack first intentionally set his own house on fire. his wife and daughter escaped. he then got into his piper cherokee plane, taking off from nearby georgetown municipal airport and flying it 25 miles south, straight into the office building housing the local irs offices. pilot jerry cullen watched it happen. >> it was a really speedy dive, and it whacked in right between the first and second floor of echelon three. >> reporter: why did stack do it? he apparently left behind a 3,000-word internet rant against the government, detailing a 30-year battle with the irs. he titled it "well, mr. big brother irs man, take my pound of flesh." he also raged against the gm bailout and the failure to reform health care. the question for investigators, was his plane loaded with anything other than fuel to help the fire spread? >> i can't believe that 40 gallons of aviation fuel would create that kind of fireball over that large area. >> reporter: stack claimed that he had lost all of his retirement money twice and he was fed up. also, facebook says it took down some statements that went up immediately after this manifesto became public. some people on facebook were endorsing stack's views. others endorsed his actions. amy? >> tom costello in washington. thanks, tom. well, a change of heart from the president of toyota. today he said he will testify, after all, before congress next week, when u.s. lawmakers look into toyota's recent recalls. and an emotional homecoming last night as three of the eight american missionaries released in haiti returned to idaho. four others arrived in kansas city and two are still being held in haiti. and a runaway circus zebra brought traffic to a near standstill thursday in atlanta. police and the animal's trainer were finally able to corral it along a busy highway. it is 7:36. time now for the weather and al. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by all. new and improved all is packed with powerful stain-lifters. it's all good. here we go. so, runaway zebra. obviously, the plot of "madagascar 3." anyway, let's check your weather and see what's happening. we'll show you for today -- there's the zebra again. and the weather looks great in atlanta to capture a zebra. we've got low pressure working its way -- i don't know. working its way through texas. and ahead of it, we've got rain, some heavy thunderstorms to the north of it. we've got snow in this upper level system, basically about three to six inches. some areas picking up locally nine, but not a big problem. sunshine in the pacific northwest, rain in southern and central california, sunny skies up and down the eastern >> it area of high pressure will be with us through the evening. a lot of sunshine and there will be scattered clouds. breezy and and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker. thanks very much. when we come back, more on evan lysacek's brilliant gold medal winning performance from last night. but first, these messages. in. all you want without any dyes or perfumes. all you expect from the number-one free clear detergent. that's because all free clear is the number-one recommended detergent by dermatologists and the number-one choice of moms. plus, like regular strength all, it has its own powerful stainlifters that fight tough dirt and stains. for sensitive skin, it's all good. ♪ three decadent flavors. 60 calories. it's me o'clock. time for jell-o. and i was so tender to the touch-- but i didn't know why. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia. and then he recommended lyrica... fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia. so now, i'm learning what a day is like with less pain. lyrica is not for everyone. tell your doctor about any serious allergic reaction that causes swelling or affects breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. lyrica may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people. some of the most common side effects of lyrica are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. do not drink alcohol while taking lyrica. you should not drive or operate machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. could your pain be caused by fibromyalgia? 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[ female announcer ] crest extra white plus scope outlast. we are back in vancouver with more of the exciting battle for men's figure skating gold. american evan lysacek and russian evgeny plushenko head to head, and evan was the one who skated away with the gold. >> beautifully landed triple axel. >> and he does a triple toe! >> he delivered the goods. >> he's going to light up the scoreboard with that performance. >> reporter: with one of the most talented groups of men's figure skaters in olympic history, the night got off to a rocky start. but all eyes were focused on the battle brewing between reigning olympic champion, russian evgeny plushenko, and american upstart evan lysacek. the two were separated by less than a point heading into thursday night's free skate program, and both were ready to bring it on. taking to the ice first, the 24-year-old world champion, lysacek. without the highly valued quad jump in his program, lysacek knew he needed to be flawless if he wanted a shot at the gold. >> he needs to hit this beautif beautifully. >> ha! >> and he did. >> he did. >> reporter: confident. >> ah! >> reporter: energized. >> ha! >> reporter: near perfection. >> evan lysacek with the skate of his life! >> evan was just as sharp as can be. he couldn't have skated any better. >> reporter: skating in the final slot of the night, reigning olympic champion evgeny plushenko, who came out of a three-year retirement, putting it all on the line for one more shot. >> oh, that was a little scary. this guy's a cat! >> the small, little details that were the mistakes, the minute ones in his program, really cost him. >> reporter: in the end, plushenko came up short with the judges, giving the gold to lysacek. >> he deserved it! he earned it! ♪ >> reporter: and as the american flag flew high above the ice, emotions ran high. anguished for the defeated russian, pure joy for the winning american. scott hamilton knows what it is like to win the gold. he did it back in 1984, is now a figure skating analyst for nbc sports. scott, good morning to you once again. >> what a night. what a night! >> the russian versus the american. both of them skated beautifully. what made the difference between the two in the end? >> the quality of the elements. it was, you know, evgeny's such a talent. this guy is so great. i mean, there's hardly any words to describe just how phenomenal. he's lost now three competitions in the last like eight or ten years. >> he came out of retirement for this one. >> and he came out of retirement for this. and it's hard. you know, i always compare it to like you're on a treadmill. you're on a treadmill and you step back on the treadmill, now you step back on, you'd better be going full speed to be competitive with these guys. and he skated really well. he skated really well. there was just a couple scary jumps where he was able to save it. you know, the quad triple combination off the top was just -- i call it sick and twisted. i mean, it's just, what this guy brings. and he ain't scared of nothing. >> not at all. >> olympic pressure, i'm going to go out there and do my job, but a couple landings were just a little off. they tied in component scores, which is not what we expected. >> let's look at their performances side by side, starting with the opening sequence. talk about that when you see them both side by side, because the russian, he's the one who did the quad. >> he did the quad and that's a huge point-getter. >> plushenko. >> but evan did a clean triple-triple. and when you start putting jumps in the second part of the program, you get a 10% bonus. so all of a sudden, a triple axel goes from 8.2 to 9.4, a quad is 9.8. so it levels the playing field. they want the jumps to be done throughout the program. and evan skated clean. he came out of a lot of his jumps with a lot of speed and posture, and evgeny caught his toe a couple times and was tilted, you know, toward the end, but that quad toe loop at the top, extraordinary. i mean, you've got to give evgeny plushenko his due. the guy's a phenomenal athlete. he's got two silver medals at the olympics and a gold. >> so, for evan to beat him -- >> that's another gold medal. just -- he won the gold on the night, but he deserves another one for beating probably one of the greatest skaters of all time. >> do you think we'll see them going up against each other again in the olympics? >> you know, in the olympics, i don't know. evgeny will be 31. he's already had four knee surgeries. you know, i never doubt him. if he wants to come back at 45, he'll probably do it. whatever, you know? but there's a lot to skating and there's a lot to be experienced and there's a life after the olympics if they choose to live that life. a lot of people are staying in, but there's something else out there. and you can really, you know, put yourself out in front of a lot of audiences if you want to. >> let's talk about the other skaters last night, beginning with johnny weir. the audience loved him. he finished in sixth place, i believe it is, and the crowd was not happy. a lot of booing. >> i was a little surprised, but you've got to look past the emotion of the performance at the moment. i mean, it was lyrical it was smooth. he delivered the goods. he skated a really nice program. but you know, when you look at the simplicity of a lot of the choreographic elements and skating skills and everything else, that might have brought him down a little bit, and it's still a judged sport. so, maybe sometimes, you know, maybe a sound bite here and a sound bite there can pull people off maybe a little bit, i don't know. but you know, johnny skated very well. >> jeremy, unfortunately, did not. jeremy abbott had a rough night. >> jeremy started off rough, and i think once he shook the two mistakes, he was great. and i think that after the national championships, he had very little left in the tank. >> yeah. i guess the oddest moment was when the japanese skater, oda, his shoe lace came undone. >> a friend of mine told me once if you do anything long enough, everything will happen to you. he can check that one off his list. >> but he came back out and performed very well. >> you know, it kind of broke the spell a little bit, you know. and it was a charming performance. i thought at first he was injured, the way he was holding his leg up and everything. but when i saw the lace broke, i thought he'll fix that, but i don't know how he'll do in in three minutes. that's a lot to do, but he rallied and finished nicely. >> it was a great night. >> it was a phenomenal night! it was everything they promised it would be. >> and more. >> and more. >> and there's more skating to come. the first round of ice dancing is tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time on nbc, not to mention the women skating next week. coming up, we're going to meet evan lysacek's parents and sisters. yes, we do. and we can say 700 miles on a single tank and epa-estimated 41 mpg city and all the words stick because they're true. we speak the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in america. yes, we speak car, and apparently quite well. fusion is now motor trend's 2010 car of the year. get in...and drive one. ♪ get in...and drive one. try it!! now that's what i'm talking about!! 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[ male announcer ] if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> announcer: "today's olympic moment" is brought to you by coca-cola. >> and this morning in "today's olympic moment," the host nation gets a big scare in its most important sport. >> score! >> reporter: hockey is the national sport here. so, imagine the surprise four years ago when the lightly regarded swiss beat the canadians on the ice. one of the biggest upsets in olympic history. >> final score in the game, switzerland 2, canada 0. >> reporter: and on thursday, in a big rematch, history almost repeated itself, as switzerland came from behind to tie the game. >> score! >> reporter: still even at the end of regulation and scoreless in overtime, it all came down to a tie-breaking shoot-out. where nhl star sidney crosby finally put the canadians ahead for good. and when canadian goalie martin brodeur, another all-star, stopped the last swiss shooter -- >> save! canada wins! >> reporter: -- our neighbors to the north could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but not for long. up next, a sunday showdown with team usa. can you imagine that arena on sunday night? >> oh, man. >> team canada verse team usa. and can you imagine the fire pit when they throw us in here if team usa wins? that again is sunday, 7:00 p.m. eastern time. >> what are we going to do monday if the u.s. wins? >> we're not going to show up, that's for sure. >> i'm backing away from the pit right now. >> yeah, i know, exactly. also coming up, is it a bird, a plane? no, it is matt and the rest of us zip-lining high above downtown vancouver. did we all do it or did we not? you will see coming up after your local news and weather. and who's the one screaming? hey, aren't you... supposed to be following that fidelity green line? well, yeah, but it keeps leading me back to my old office. i think it might be broken. or maybe it's trying to tell you something. yeah, but what could it be trying... oh, i left my 401(k) at my old job. and i left a jacket on the back of my door. but i think the line is talking about my 401(k). leave a 401(k) behind? roll it over with the company that's helping more people reach retirement than anyone else. when it comes to investing, never settle. fidelity investments. 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! 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[ male announcer ] with great deals on all 13 models, it's a whole new volkswagen. and a whole new game. ♪ >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> unfortunately, a busy ride out there, and a lot of accidents we are seeing are due to black ice. you want to use caution and be careful on the ramps especially. at greenspring ave, and a crash and delays at forming behind it. heavy delays as you approach this scene. you can see was cited delays farming and i-95, an accident scene. the ramp to 97 south is blocked. we will take a look at in a moment. in annapolis, 665 and route 2. as far as live cameras, 95 in the white marsh area, not too bad out there. if you are going to be traveling on east down 100, still not ramp blocked. you can see that the sheen on the road -- is definitely icy. >> high temperatures this morning are in the middle 30's. generally at or just above the freezing point. all the snow is to the east or west. big area of high pressure bridged in between. good stuff as we go through the weekend. plenty of sunshine through the day today. high temperatures in the low-to- mid-forties. more cloudy desperate maybe -- more cloudy this. maybe a flurry in the forecast. >> you can check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic traffic it's 8:00 now on a thursday morning. it's the 19th day of february 2010. what a pretty shot that is, looking at the olympic cauldron burning in downtown vancouver, right alongside the water. and i think, if you kind of push beyond that, you get the different shot. >> that's right. >> and you come right to the top of grouse mountain. >> it's amazing how that works. >> 4,700 feet above sea level and our home for the first week here and the next six days or so. looking forward to being here and we're looking down at our location here at grouse. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker and ann curry. you know, you've covered the olympics and you stand here for a week or so, you talk about a lot of high-flying events. >> you do. actually, we did get in on the act of a high-flying event. it's called the zip line. there's a special zip line that's been set up downtown where people reach speeds of 50 miles an hour as they soar eight stories above the plaza below. who among us had the nerve to try it and who do you think didn't do it? who do you think? >> oh, that's not nice. somebody screamed out matt. why would you think that? >> we'll find out if matt was the one. we'll find out in a moment. >> i had just eaten. i didn't want to cramp up. >> speaking of the crowd below. >> exactly. >> oh! >> how would you like to be the family of evan lysacek this morning? >> oh, unbelievable. >> oh, man. >> you're watching your son compete on the biggest stage in sports, and he has the performance of a lifetime. they must be so proud. there is team lysacek right there. we're going to be talking to them about their son's gold medal winning night in a moment. >> that's right. we think we have now turned jenna bush into a snowboard fanatic. i mean, first of all, she hit the slopes with lindsey jacobellis. then she got to hang out with shaun white's family as he went for the gold. and last night, you guessed it, she was front and center for the women's halfpipe. she's going to tell us all about it, just ahead. all right, but first, ann is here with a recap of thursday's olympic action. >> and we're topping our story with what we've just been talking about. what a win for evan lysacek, taking the gold in men's figure skating, and the last american man to do that was brian boitano in 1988. >> gold medalist and olympic champion, representing the united states of america, evan lysac lysacek! >> reporter: this is the moment american figure skater evan lysacek has been waiting for. beating the defending olympic champion, evgeni plushenko of russia in a close race for the gold. >> beautiful combination. >> reporter: from beginning to end, it was a near perfect performance for lysacek. >> the skate of his life! >> this is the greatest night of my life. i'll never forget it. >> reporter: in the women's halfpipe competition, two medals for the americans. hannah teter taking silver and kelly clark the bronze. australian torah bright won gold. >> she hooked the tip and she is out of the race, sliding down -- >> reporter: a tough day for american skier lindsey vonn. just one day after taking the gold in the downhill, on thursday she crashed in the slalom portion of the super combined. but good news for another american, julia mancuso, who won her second silver in two days. today, tanith belbin and ben agosto, the silver medalists from torino, take to the ice, starting their quest for gold in ice dancing. and also competing today, we've got bode miller and ted ligety in the men's super-g. >> all right, ann, thank you very much. >> let's get a check of the morning's top stories from amy robach, who is back in new york. hey, amy. >> good morning, meredith. good morning, everyone. today, texas officials will be back at the scene of a suicide plane crash in austin. they have identified the pilot as a 53-year-old software engineer who accused the irs of stealing his life savings. what officials say was his act of revenge thursday cost him and a worker at the irs building their lives. tiger woods breaks his silence today. he is going to make a statement this morning about his infidelity and his future to a hand-picked audience at ponte vedra beach in north florida. woods isn't going to take any questions, and nbc news will have live coverage of his statement at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. toyota's president looking for understanding about his company's safety problems, says he will testify at a congressional hearing next week in washington. he announced the about-face today, saying he will detail what toyota is doing to fix problems with gas pedals and brakes on some of its most popular models. and one-time homeland homeland security nominee bernard kerik was sentenced thursday to four years in prison. the former new york city police commissioner had pleaded guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud. and the white house is launching a new race to the top high school commencement challenge. schools can apply at www.whitehouse.gov/commencement to show how they are making gains in personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness. president obama will speak at the commencement at the winning high school. it is 8:05. let's get another check of the weather from al in vancouver. >> all right, thanks a lot, ame. as we show you our pick city of the day, we are looking at beautiful weather out there. it's snow showers for syracuse, new york. they've been loving it all winter long. windy conditions, temperatures 30, nbc 3. rest of the country, sunny skies for the weekend along the west coast. we've got showers, though, working through the gulf coast. sunny skies along the east coast. then sunday, sunday, we're looking at more sunshine in the east, some wet weather down through the gulf coast and we' >> we will hold on to good weather today as high pressure dominates through the evening hours. forecast is a good one. tempers up to the seasonal and that's your latest weather. >> all right. >> mr. roker, thank you. when we come back, the four of us throw caution to the wind and we take on a zip line eight stories above the streets of vancouver. how'd we do? you be the judge. f paint? a list of features? what about the strength of the steel? the integrity of its design... or how it responds... in extreme situations? the deeper you look, the more you see the real differences. and the more you understand what it means to own a mercedes-benz. the c-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for special offers through mercedes-benz financial. ♪ did you know that, for a limited time, you can earn double extra bucks with your extracare card? for every two prescriptions purchased, you get two extra bucks. and you normally get 2% back, but now you can earn 4% back on all cvs brand items. what a treat! 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>> positive comments all around fueled our excitement for what was to come, until -- >> going in. >> great. it's a pretty day. perfect day to die. >> oh! >> and they never had meredith vieira -- oh, oh -- >> you're not afraid of heights, though, are you? >> yeah, i am. >> wow. i remember doing this -- >> stop. you have to stop. >> good. >> good? i'm like jell-o. >> this is going to be great. men against the women. here we go. >> confrompetition? >> no, this is not a competition. >> you are going down. literally. you are literally going down -- >> why can't this be a relaxed day in vancouver? >> because it's us! it's the olympics! >> oh, man. >> here we go. >> this is the hardest part. >> that's right. >> where's the elevator? >> oh, my gosh. >> you know what, it's not so high. >> best part, if anything really did happen, you'd probably die from a heart attack before -- >> you know what? >> it's going to go really fast, just seconds. >> we just cruise down this way right towards sears? >> why, are you going to pick something up? >> i need a new washer and dryer. do we slow ourselves down like on another zip line, where you actually use your hands or -- >> no, we'll do that for you. >> oh, great. >> all you have to do is sit back and relax and enjoy. >> awesome! >> are you all right? >> sure. this is nothing. >> nothing! it's going to be fun. >> i'm going to go first. i'm ready. >> all right. >> i'm here for the art of it and the fun of it, and i have a feeling there's some competitive juices flowing here. >> oh, you think it's coming from us? >> well, it's not coming from the boys. seriously, all for fun. >> fun. >> a good time. >> beat the pants out of them. all right, kid. >> have fun, matt. >> aww. >> what's up, baby. let's go! >> do it, dude! yeah! that's very graceful. >> whoo-hoo hoo! >> yeah. ♪ >> whoa! >> wow. >> that's a braking system. that was fun! that was so cool! >> i'm cinched in places that are not very comfortable. whoo-hoo hoo! woo! >> hey, al, i can see what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> ah! i'm king of the world! woo! that is exhilarating! man! ♪ >> you're going to want to hang on. >> i'm very anxious, to be honest with you, and i hold on with both hands, okay. one rks two r, two, three, four >> good job, meredith. >> do i just go? >> you got it. >> yeah! >> whoo-hoo! >> yay! bravo! >> hey, meredith, is this what they mean by "the view"? ♪ i want to get away, i wanna fly away ♪ >> she did better than the boys. >> oh! that was great! >> you were stfantastic. >> it was great! >> very nice. >> smooth as could be. i was expecting blood-curling screams. >> i'm so glad i did it. what a baby. now you guys are going down now! >> i am so excited. i have to tell you. i think this is going to be really fun. it's fun to do this with these guys, you know? ready, set -- ♪ and i'm free >> woo! yay! ♪ free fallin' >> ann, your form is all wrong. >> oh! that was great! >> isn't that great? >> way to go. >> all right! >> way to go! >> and just before we headed for round two, we took a moment to confront our heckler. >> nice helmet. >> oh, you were the heckler. i was wondering who the heckler was. >> yeah. things a little slow at "nightly," huh? >> yeah, so -- >> that's a good look. >> question for you -- >> yeah? >> does this harness make my butt look big? >> i feel really good about the second time. >> i'm going to try and go upside down. >> is this a competition or is this a love fest? >> is this a love fest or is this a competition? let's go love fest. you want to hold hands? or you just want a high five? >> this is beautiful. it's really beautiful, the two of them together. >> i know. >> i want to remember them just like this. >> i know. >> two, one, go! >> go! >> uh-oh! >> awesome! >> hey, matt, your butt looks big in that harness. >> wow. >> woo! >> oh, my gosh, look at matt go. >> meredith stumped him. wow. meredith was fearless, just off and away. >> i know. i know. >> matt kind of hesitated. she just, boom! >> she's a fast learner. there you go. first-time zip liner. >> all right. tomorrow afternoon i think she's going up in the space shuttle. >> i thought meredith was amazing. i would give her form a 10, 10 1/2. >> yeah, but you've always got to worry about the east german judges, so i don't know. this is not a competition. >> since when? >> oh, come on. >> let's go! yeah, woo! ♪ i just wanna fly, put your arms around me baby ♪ >> hey, al, thank you for wearing pants! ♪ put your arms around me baby, i just wanna fly ♪ >> way to go, guys! >> whoa! that was so fun! ♪ >> i love this thing. >> you did a great job. >> so fun. how many more times could you do that? >> i think i'm done. >> that was fun. >> and you turned upside down, that was very hard to do. i could not do that. that was great. >> i didn't plan on it. >> there's a grouse mountain zip line here as well. >> zip line here. >> so, that could be very fun. we may have to try that later in the week. >> want to give it a shot? >> yeah. there's one at whistler, as well. >> you did great. >> you did great. >> thank you, honey. my pants were so wet after that. up next, high-flying fun without a harness to save you. what's it like to do that? we'll find out after this. ♪ [ smack! 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[ male announcer ] get started at bankofamerica.com/solutions perfect! ♪ >> announcer: "today's athlete to watch" is brought to you by p&g, proud sponsor of moms. and this morning on "today's athletes to watch," we're talking about the men and women of freestyle skiing. the aerials event begins tomorrow, and jonny moseley can tell us all about that. he won a gold in the moguls back in 1998. he's an accomplished aerialist as well, and he's covering the freestyle events for us at nbc sports. jonny, good morning. good to see you. >> good morning. >> let's talk about a guy everybody's talking about, speedy peterson. what are his chances? >> yeah, love talking to speedy. as you know, he just missed the hurricane in '06, the only person who does this jump, five flips. it's impressive, but he has to land it perfectly to beat his competition. >> if he lands it gracely, you expect him to be on the podium? if not, he goes home empty handy. >> it's the podium or nothing for speedy. >> what about this jumper? >> he's technically sound, an ice man. he lands every time. >> is he working on a secret trick we don't know about? >> well, he has a trick in the bag if speedy lands the hurricane. so, a similar trick with that same difficulty. >> there's a new add to the men's team, scotty bahrke, brother of shannon bahrke, who already medaled here. he got on why? >> okay, so, dylan ferguson had appendicitis. >> a good friend of his, by the way. >> a good friend, teammate. so, he had surgery and isn't able to compete. >> does that put him at a disadvantage, coming on last minute or maybe an advantage, he hasn't had time to think about it? >> i thought an advantage, because anticipation going into the olympics can be the most stressful part. so, he was at the bar partying and next thing he got the call, celebrating his sister's victory. >> now he's at the bar partying anyway! >> exactly. >> let's talk about ryan st. onge. what do we need to know about him? >> well, he's the world champion from last year. he's been struggling this season, particularly with landings, but has the best form in the business. if he puts two jumps together, you could see him on the podium, for sure. >> let's go to the women's side. we have olivia lieu sila. >> he does a triple backflip, so, she is definitely the one to watch for. >> i was surprised when we talk about emily cook. she's 30. i mean, that's kind of old for this kind of a sport, which really pounds your body. >> yeah. it's not so much the age. it's how many crashes you've taken and she's taken a lot, a lot of injuries. broke both heels before the salt lake games -- >> i heard somebody laugh at how many crashes she's taken. >> it's like dog years. >> it's a tough sport, really is. also on the u.s. team is ashley caldwell, only 16 years old, the other end of the spectrum. >> he's the future she's going to be strong in russia. has a great chance here, but this is really just getting olympic experience. >> and the weather and conditions, how's that going to play into all this? >> you know, the weather has been great so far. the snow conditions have been a little tricky, so the jumping has been going very slowly, which could have a little bit of effect on some of the competitors, but not the excellent ones. >> can i tell you something? you're as good on tv as you are in the moguls. you're really good at this. >> i appreciate it. >> jonny moseley, good having you here. the women's freestyle competition is tomorrow afternoon right here on nbc. here's al. thanks, matt. olympic-sponsored dreamworks animation is getting ready to release a new movie called "how to train your dragon." well, in the olympic spirit, they furnished us with their version of the winter games 1,000 years ago today. >> bobsledding requires three things -- strength, courage and a guy named bob. the hours of grueling practice perfect i perfecting control are all worth it for winter game glory. >> hi, honey! >> oh! >> show your chest, bob, show your medals. >> nobody said winning had to be pretty. >> 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 traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> still dealing with several accidents this hour, many of them ice-related of the inner loop of greenspring avenue, at the crash coming into us there. heavy delay has just passed liberty. at coldspring lane, two right lanes closed with an accident. normal volume-related delays here, and coming down from owings mills. east on 100 at the overpass at 97, there is an accident there. taking up lanes on northbound route 10. route 665 at route two in the annapolis region. at harford road, northeast corner of the beltway, dealing with delays there. let's switch over to a live view of the accident scene. still on the process of being cleared, eastbound 197, with a left lane taken up there. >> we have had some sunshine this morning. temperature at 38 at tv show. high-pressure gives us good weather today. this is what the radar looks like today. it will hold off for a couple of days, anyway. i pressure is still here. that storm is still to the west. looks like we're in good shape. it will still be breezy like yesterday. we will see some sunshine. temperatures will be in the low- to-mid-forties for the highs. a little cooler off to the northwest. the storm in the central part of the u.s. makes its way to us on monday, and a fairly good chance of rain, sleet, and snow. >> we will have another update at 8:55. 8:30 now on this friday morning, february 19th, 2010. welcome back to grouse mountain, our home away from home during the 2010 olympic winter games. coming up in this half hour, we're going to show you how our friends north of the border entertain award-winning chef and toronto native trish hagley. also ahead, we've already shown you we've had fun on the zip line, we've got to take in the opening ceremony. we've seen some events, some heart-pounding, some heartbreaking. coming up, we'll recap our olympic odyssey so far. that's right. also, what is it like? have you ever asked yourself, what would it be like to actually have a gold medal winner in your own family? lucky for us this morning, we'll get to ask a family, because there you are. we're looking at evan lysacek's family and we'll hear from them and ask those questions, after this. >> beaming with pride, i would imagine. >> absolutely. all right, before we go any further, we've got to check with jenna bush hager, who is our olympic correspondent and snowboarding aficionado. >> hey, guys. good morning. >> you've been at the halfpipe. you've been everywhere, and last night you hung out at the competition again. >> yes. i think i am the snowboarder beat reporter. it was a great night. i was with shaun white two nights ago, and last night it was all about the ladies of the halfpipe. the golden girls of the halfpipe, hannah teter, kelly clark, gretchen bleiler, best friends and fierce competitors. they came out thursday ready to bring home the gold, and their families were there to cheer them on. hannah teter, defending her title, having won gold in torino in 2006. >> it's excitement, it's nervousness, it's, you know, we want the best for her. she's an awesome young woman. >> reporter: have you talked to her today? >> a little bit. she's feeling good. she's having a good pipe day. she's just loving all this. so, that's a good thing. >> go, hannah! >> reporter: kelly clark, just 18 when she won her gold medal in 2002 in salt lake city. she failed to medal in italy. is this her night for redemption? yes? when she's going down the pipe, what are you thinking to yourself? >> just get down to the bottom. >> get down there fast and safe and don't pull out. >> reporter: gretchen bleiler, winner of last month's x games and torino silver medalist, was ready to move up to the top spot. >> she's coming off an amazing win at the x games, and we're just all so excited. and we have a little support here. >> reporter: the day started off well for the three amigos. bleiler nailed the crippler seven. >> it was bigger than i've ever done it and it landed perfectly, and i had so much speed. i didn't even know what to do with myself. >> reporter: but later tumbled. >> i got the check, didn't get the medal. >> reporter: clark faltered on her first run and knew she couldn't falter again, singing "you should love me" by misty edwards, and the judges did by awarding her with the bronze medal. >> end one another olympic medal. i couldn't be happier. >> reporter: turning it into a nail-biting finish, up to hannah teter, who had to have the day's best run. >> so far, so good. >> reporter: in the night's second run, australian torah bright soared to the lead with a near perfect run of technical perfection, including a switchback side 720. teter went last, social conscious pancake-eating 23-year-old knew she had to beat the best. >> you know, i got in the zone and found my positive mind state, so that really was successful for me in landing the run. >> reporter: the ride was clean, but it was not meant to be. the aussie, with her winning smile, won australia's first gold of the games. still, the golden girls didn't walk away empty-handed. how does it feel to have your teammate, kelly, up there with you? >> kelly is just one of the best riders in the world, and she's been winning every contest this year. so, to be on the podium with her is just huge for me. >> it was great! it was so much fun out there. i feel like a true shredder. >> wow! >> look at you. >> they called me a newbie, but i'm going to try to get some straight air on the pipe today. >> get some amplitude? >> i'll probably just break a foot, but it was a lot of fun. the girls are great. hannah teter told me that anything she gets from endorsements she's giving to haiti. so, she's really a wonderful girl. >> terrific. >> she was here earlier and said her performance and her medal podium there was "epic." >> it was killer. >> killer. >> jenna, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> we appreciate it. >> it's been a lot of fun. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? it's going to be epic. ouch, i think i hurt myself there. as we check out your forecast, here's what we've got for you for today. sunshine up and down the eastern seaboard, snow showers in northern new england, snow in the central u.s., afternoon showers in central and southern california. tomorrow, east coast again looking pretty tasty. we've got >> it area of high pressure will be with us through the evening. a lot of sunshine and there will be scattered clouds. breezy and and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker, thanks. when we come back, evan lysacek's proud family will sit down to talk about a magical evening with meredith. welcome back to vancouver. we have been talking about it all morning long, evan lysacek's impressive gold medal win in men's figure skating. he's been very kind, kind enough to stick around, even though he didn't go to bed last night, along with his family, his parents, don and tanya and sisters christina and laura. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> first of all, guys, how proud are you of this one? >> oh, we're beaming, you can tell. >> what are you feeling right now, don? >> just joy for him and joy for us, and it was a lot of work for him and a long time coming, but he stuck it out and saw it through to the end. it was just, it was brilliant in the end. >> what does it mean for you to have your family here? would it make you more nervous when they were watching last night or less to know they were here? >> well, it's interesting. i mean, there's so much going on at the olympic games, but with everything that's going through my head, my number one priority was still to make my family proud and make my friends and my coaches and all those people that really are my support system on a daily basis, make them proud and kind of give them a moment that they'll always be able to remember, too. >> as you're skating, do you think about them? >> occasionally, i do, actually. there are certain steps that i know will make my mom nervous and will make my dad nervous, so i think, i'd better do this good so they'll relax. >> i know, tanya, you don't like to watch evan live, partly out of ritual and partly out of nerves, right? >> correct. >> so, where were you when he was competing last night? >> proctor & gamble has a very lovely family and friends home, and they were nice enough to give me my own little space. so, i had my own tv with my own space and my own glass of wine. >> oh, your own glass of wine. >> of course. and it was wonderful. >> were you nervous the whole time? >> actually, i wasn't so nervous. >> you weren't? >> this time. i felt pretty relaxed there. it was a real comfortable environment. right before he skated, of course, i was nervous, but as the program went on, i was just getting excited because he was just nailing everything. so, it was terrific. >> and when it was over, did you run over to be with him? >> absolutely. they had a car waiting for me to get me right over there. >> and were you guys all there? were you actually watching there? >> yeah. >> so, what was that like for you? >> really nerve-racking. >> yeah. >> but it was real exciting. we just went every single element with him. we were holding hands and screaming the whole time it was exciting. >> then watching the other skaters -- i talked to evan about this earlier, because there with five that skated after him. and you don't know whether any one of them is going to be better, especially plushenko, because he was ahead of the game coming into the finals. when you watched him skate, tanya, did you say my boy got it, even before you knew? >> no. i thought -- well, i thought it would be really, really, really close, but i thought that there were a lot of elements that evan did with a lot more finesse that were a lot better. but you just never know, because it's a judged sport. so, you don't know what the results are going to be. we just knew it would be close. but obviously, we prevailed. >> you guys are from naperville in illinois. >> yes. >> have you talked to any folks back there since this happened? >> not yet. >> nobody, huh? >> nobody. >> what kind of response do you think you're going to get when you all go back? >> oh, i think we'll get a very warm response. i think they are still very proud of evan and they keep in contact with him and keep up on what he's doing and where he is, so. >> and i've got to ask you, laura, because evan told me in an interview way before the olympics that the reason he started skating was because you were a skater and he wanted to be better than you. so, you actually are the inspiration behind the medal. how do you feel about that? >> apparently. wow, that's great. >> well, congratulations to all of you. what are you going to do for the rest of the day? >> sleep. >> sleep! very, very good. thank you so much. the entire lysacek family. >> thank you. and up next, entertaining canada style. but first, this is "today" on nbc. this morning on "today's olympic kitchen," entertainment canadian style from seafood to sweets, this nation is rolling out the red carpet. >> that's right. and here with how they put on a spread when the guests arrive is chef trish magwood. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> when we hear the term canadian cuisine, what are we talking about? >> well, cozy comfort food, but raw ingredients. we have so many great products, whether apples, produce, our wonderful cheeses and breads or ethnically inspired dishes. >> you're a caterer as well. >> i am. >> so, when people entertain at home, what is a must-have dish that some people will have in one form or another? >> i think it's about getting people involved and connected. so whether it's a comfort soup or a beautiful salad, i think as long as you have variation and bellies are full, then everyone's happy. >> we like that. >> what are some of the more popular canadian dishes? >> i've come up with some dishes that incorporate our ingredients. so, we have a salad here with apple cider and vinaigrette. so, putting that in first, and then we're putting in some beautiful greens that are local greens. we can mix that together. so, baby mash. >> that's gorgeous. >> and this is -- >> i'll mix it for you. >> you're going to mix? >> sure. >> matt's going to mix here. then we have beautiful smoked trout. >> oh, delicious. >> do you like smoked trout? >> i do. i like anything smoked. >> we have fish from coast to coast, shellfish, seafood, salmons. but this is a small lake trout. >> oh, sorry. i'm reneging on my duties here. >> i'll put the trout on top? >> then the trout can go on top and then apples, like macks and a.m. brochuras -- >> you just threw it on there. >> she did a good job. >> i got it. >> then some local apples. >> fantastic. very simple. >> and this is paired with whistler's back tusk ale. go ahead. >> also, maple syrup everywhere. >> this is my dad's maple syrup brought from him to you and i'm using this in a sweet potato soup. so, this is great for watching a hockey game or this is great for -- >> serve that hot or cold is this. >> you're going to serve this hot. >> okay. >> so, this is perfect for our chilly ski nights and we can garnish it with toasted almonds. and this is a really fun way to do sort of a tv tray presentation. then some of the maple syrup on top. you can also use a nice blue cheese here. this is a quebec blue cheese. isn't that nice? >> looks very pretty, too. >> there you go. and with a rustic bread bowl. i love this -- this idea here is sort of cozy comfort, entertaining casual style. we have a great artysmal bread. you slice it down the middle. >> what does that mean? >> it's small producers and handcrafted. >> okay. >> so, we've got some good quality olive oil and you're sort of getting in there with your hands. some sea salt. doesn't it smell good some. >> smells great. >> apparently, the canadians also great with local cheeses as well. what are the varieties you brought with you? >> absolutely. we have a cheese board here. quebec and ontario as well as bc, really well known for our cheeses. we've got -- david wood has a goat cheese from salt spring island. we have a smoked gouda, a cheese from quebec, an aged cheddar from quebec and a blue cheese from the benedictan monks in quebec as well and paired with crackers, do a cheese board and this is -- >> who is this? >> this is a caterer in cuba, a great spread with it. and we're good. >> we're learning more about the climate here and there are parts of this country that are perfect for growing wine. >> world-class ice wine. whether it's an ice wine or whatever, this is done on baked fruit. not necessarily in season. >> this is my dish. >> this is your dish. and this too. you can pour away. >> he's in my ear saying more, more. >> and pour it out with homemade ice cream and you've got canadian cuisine fairly covered. >> you've done a really good job. >> you have everything here in this region, everything you could ask for. >> we do. we're sort of going coast to coast a bit. we have our smoked trout from ontario, but certainly, you could alter that with a salmon from bc. we have our earthy vegetables and fruits from ontario or bc. we've got our maple syrup, which i think we're probably most known for as well as our cheeses. so, i think we're covering the country here. >> trish, great job. >> thank you so much, trish. >> enjoy. >> we will. trish magwood. up next, the week that was here in vancouver. we are back here, day eight of the vancouver olympic games. >> can't believe that. >> open your hand there, ann. what's in your hand there? >> i had a bunch of food dumped on the plate -- >> that's great. >> no, it looked so good over there. >> it's nice. >> she came with sweet potatoes or something in her hand. >> a bowl of sweet potatoes -- >> from trish. i love it. >> we do have plates here. >> can you believe it's been eight days? >> i know. >> it's gone by so fast. >> so quickly. and we have another week. if you're looking ahead -- first of all, we've had a lot of fun in the past. we'll tell you about that in a second. but looking ahead, the big event in the next 48 hours is on sunday night, canada versus the u.s. in hockey. this place is going to be rockin'. >> usa! >> go usa, that's right. we already told you that if usa wins this game, we're not going to have much of a crowd monday morning. they're not going to let us -- >> or it might be a mob. >> exactly. >> apolo ohno is skating again for a medal. so that's great. and women's skating begins next week. so still a lot to look forward to. it's great to have evan here. we've had some incredible athletes come through all week. >> absolutely. >> what a sweet family, too. it really says something about the importance of a family. >> i think almost all of the skaters say the same thing about that, how it takes a village to create an olympic athlete -- >> all these athletes. >> absolutely. >> not that medal count is the most important thing -- clearly, it's not, and it really isn't, but team usa does lead in the medal count. a lot of those medal winners have stopped by grouse mountain. we're thankful for that, and hopefully more to come next week. most importantly, though, over the last eight days we've had a chance to experience an awful lot of vancouver. we love this city and we've had an awful lot of fun. >> that's for sure. ♪ ♪ you read the news, turns you inside out ♪ >> nodar kumaritashvili. ♪ and everybody feels the same as you, uncertain times, uncertain rules apply ♪ ♪ caught in the blind spot ♪ ♪ how does it feel, feel like you were, can you feel that, the way i feel ♪ >> alexandre bilodeau has won gold! ♪ ♪ >> wescott does it! double gold! ♪ >> big jump. oh! he went too big! >> and it is going to be -- no! korea wipes out! unbelievable! >> oh, down she goes. ♪ >> silver medal, and oh, she's completely out of control! in the air over that final jump. >> shani davis pushing it until the end! and he's got another gold medal! >> i like them. >> two thumbs up. ♪ >> lindsey vonn! >> yes! >> how long have you been dreaming of this moment? >> for my whole life. >> your chocolate -- >> yes, chocolate! that's good. >> olympic gold medal. ♪ >> oh! >> yeah! >> woo! >> ah! ♪ >> way to go, guys! >> whoa! ♪ >> evan lysacek with the skate of his life! ♪ >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. police of identified whose body was discovered outside a school. it was discovered early yesterday. officials say she was a teacher at the school >> now let's take a look the forecast with john collins. >> there are storms off to the northeast, and in between, high pressure. the storm and the plans -- in the plan's compliance with this storm in the pacific. our forecast for today is not a bad one. a lot of sunshine and scattered clouds. mid-forties for the highs. but the cool and cloudy of to our north and northwest. the weekend is ok. but we will pick up more clouds. by sunday, perhaps only in the 30's in the highs and is no floor or so for said it coul. >>