good morning. where will she go? tropical debby churning and strengthening in the gulf of mexico, but this morning, her path remains a disturbing mystery. rocky mountain haze, the worst while fire in colorado's history forces thousands of residents to flee from their homes and with triple digit temperatures and high winds, the worst is yet to come. and calm under pressure. >> are the cops here yet? >> be quiet, okay? talk very softly, okay? >> okay. >> an 11-year-old keeps his cool when intruders enter his home and he's being held as a hero.

today is sunday, june 24th, and he's being held as a hero. today is sunday, june 24th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to today on a sunday. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm jenna wolf. we're only a few days into summer and already we're talking about the weather. the tropical storm season only just begun, but we're on our fourth named storm. this one is debbie. >> and it's scary because no one really knows where debbie is going this morning. the storm is packing sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. forecasters just issued a tropical storm warning for alabama against gulf coast all the way to the florida panhandle. >> still, this remain aes very difficult storm to track. residents all along the gulf coast, including texas and louisiana should be on alert. at least one tornado linked to the storms touched down saturday

in southwest florida. luckily, nobody was hurt. >> and we're going to go live to florida and track the storm in just a moment. then, jerry sandusky is reportedly on a suicide watch this morning two days after he was convicted on 45 counts of molesting young boys. why his legal team offered to quit and why this case is far from over. then the london olympics, just over a month away and swimmer janet evans is trying for a come back. she struck gold at the age of 17. now at 40 and the mother of two, she's competing against athletes half her age and a shot to go to london. we'll talk with her about her olympic dreams and whether they might come true once again. speaking of water sports, we are sometimes asked to take part in rather thrill seeking activities here on the show. for my latest adventure, i hit the rapid necessary a rather small kayak and a raft, a rather small raft with a former olympian. if you fear speed or capsizing or a few bruises, this is not for you. if you don't fear any of those

things, i suggest you do that. >> looks like a fun ride if you can stay in the boat. my bet is you didn't. >> what's with the betting? plus, the world's ugliest dog, his name is mugly. first, to that storm, it's tropical debbie. mike seidel is joining us. >> we've had heavy rain squalls. water now running from the hotels and condominiums down the beach. we don't need any heb. we have a myriad of beach issues here and tides now running a couple feet above average. down the coast late yesterday afternoon just an hour before we got the official word that tropical storm debby, look at the damage can all caused by the twister. winds of 70 miles per hour.

just in the past half hour, we've had another tornado warning just north of ft. myers, but nothing was cited. meanwhile, offshore, they've evacuated nine platforms and one oil digging rig. that's because debby is approaching. with that said, only about 2% of oil and gas production have been shut down. that should not affect your price at the pump in the short-term. and this morning in southwest louisiana, plaquemines parish, they're sandbagging those areas to keep highway 23 open as the wind continues to pile up. in the meantime, a couple of very bad beach days, already an inch and a half of rain. we're expecting totals of 5 inches or more between now and tuesday. lester. >> mike seidel, thanks very much. speaking of where debby is going, weather channel's crystal eggle is with us now. >> and we wish we had that

answer right now. this is a frustrating storm because all of the models are in disagreement as to where this is going to make landfall, calling this one difficult debby. heavy rain showers, gusty tornados, all of this a concern across florida. we have tropical storm warnings out, including southwest louisiana, back through pensacola and down into western florida. these are the models. some taking it farther to the northeast and some swinging it in a northwesterly direction. this is going to take its time as it slowly organizes and sits here in the gulf, eventually making landfall, perhaps around louisiana. it could sir farther right or farther left and may, in fact, become a hurricane before that happened as to whether exactly this hits. only time will tell. jenna. >> our crystal, thank you very much. we're going to get the rest of your national forecast in just a moment. meantime, out west, the problem isn't stormy weather. it's raging wildfires and firefighters in colorado and utah have their hands full this

morning. here is nbc's mike taibbi. >> in saratoga springs south of salt lake city, thick smoke swept over a town where 18,000 live and where firefighters battling a so-called dump fire that ignited thursday are not in full control yet. more than 2,000 people were evacuated, at least for a day. >> woke up halfway through the night wondering where the heck i was. >> in colorado's high park fire near ft. collins, the flames have consumed nearly 200 homes and scorched more than 100 square miles of forestland. and doesz of evacuees who had returned home had been forced to leave again. >> i don't know what the fire behavior is right now. >> this two-week old pfeifer disaster, colorado's worst ever, now less than halfway contained. >> it's like putting a big log in the fireplace. it's going to burn for a long time. >> and even the smaller fires in colorado's dry zone pose new threats. the waldo fire outside colorado

springs and the estes park fire damaged 15 homes. .it's not just current conditions. sustained gusting winds are driving these western fires. >> it's the warm, dry winter just passed, following two extremely wet snow filled winters. >> all of the vegetation that sprouted up thanks to all of that extra moisture is now dry and sitting there and, unfortunately, fueling those fires. >> the national fire center says more than 25,000 fires this year have burned nearly 1.2 million acres and it's only june. the 10-year average for a full fire season around 35,000 fires, scorching some 1.76 million acres. yes, the monsoon season is coming in mid summer. >> but also bring with it lightning, which could spark even more wildfires. >> leading to fears that the worst is yet to come. for today, mai tai ebi, nbc news, los angeles. it's time now for a look at

the rest of the morning's top stories. >> cnbc's courtney reagan is standing by at the news desk for us. >> good morning, everyone. we start in egypt where a swelling crowd of tens of thousands gather in cairo's tahrir square today to await the results of last weekend's presidential runoff. richard engle has the latest live from cairo. good morning, richard. >> good morning. the crowds here are continuing to grow. supporters of the muslim brotherhood have begun a victory celebration. it is, however, somewhat premature. the official election results have yet to be announced. that announcement could come in just a matter of minutes. people believe that mohammed mursi, the muslim brotherhood candidate will shoon be confirmed as the country's next president. if that happened, these celebrations will grow much bigger and the muslim brotherhood will have achieved something it has been waiting

decades to do, win a presidency and begin a path of imposing islamic law. if, however, the military candidate, ahmed shafiq, is declared the winner, this crowd could turn very angry. violence is highly possible. the egyptian military is calling for calm and issued orders for the police to be on high alert. >> richard engle live from cairo, thank you. the cleanup is under way in duluth, minnesota, after up to 10 inches of rain fell causing widespread flooding. most people were evacuated as the level of the st. louis river rose. many residents returned saturday, but officials say it could take several more days until the water recedes from these homes. officials say the damage might top $100 million. at least four people were hurt when a roof partially collapsed at a busy shopping mall in canada. the roof, which serves as a parking area, crumbeled saturday afternoon senting some cars crashing to the concourse below.

finally, a new world record has been deck at the decathlon. ash ton eaton broke the world record saturday by running his personal best in the 1500 meters. eaton is one of the favorites to take a gold medal in the upcoming game. coverage starts right here on nbc. i'm very excited for the olympics this year. just one of the athletes to watch. >> so many great stories to watch. >> this decathlon is so hard. it is so hard that when they finally get to that 1500 meters, they have to give everything they've got. he broke down in these tears and you really felt so happy for him. >> exciting times coming. all right. crystal eggar is back. she has the rest of the national forecast. >> that's right. and the first weekend of summer, here we go. we have a lot to talk about. have you ever seen one of these? this is a sun halo caught on

camera here out of indianapolis on saturday. basically, this phenomenon is caused by tiny ice crystals contained inside these high clouds. and when sunlight hits the ice, it creates that colorful halo and rain effect. here is a look at weather across the country. and temperature around the bay area comfortably cool as we watch the festivities in san francisco. temperature in the mid-60s. those are the temperatures in lunchtime, upper 60s and low 70s again for the east bay valleys. except temperature to drop a little more. for monday, an area of low pressure tracks by to the north and fort middle part of the week, that's when temperature climb with 80s back in the forecast inland wednesday and thursday. >> back to back to you, lefter. >> crystal, thanks. now to jerry sandusky, who is on suicide watch this morning, according to one of his

lawyers. his attorneys are saying they offered to resign before the case because they weren't allowed enough time to prepare for trial. and even though sandusky will probably spend the rest of his life behind bars, the sordid case is far from over. >> reporter: no sooner was jerry sandusky convicted of 45 dounts of child sex abuse and led from the court in handcuffs than pennsylvania's top law enforcement official made clear there may be more charges against others to come. >> we can help the victims of voices be heard. >> reporter: the attorney general oversaw the three-year investigation that uncovered sandusky's abuse of young children. >> are you determined to get to the full troop truth and continue this investigation? >> this investigation continues. i think anyone associated with this case can tell you that we've been developing information even after the grand jury presentment. >> reporter: there are now three

investigations, by kelly's office, by the u.s. justice department and by former fbi director louis free hired by penn state itself. all of these probes are focused in part on what former penn state officials knew about sandusky's conduct. former penn state athletic director tim curly and gary shulz have been charged with perjury relate to go what they knew about that 2001 shower incident involving sandusky and a young boy reported to them by former graduate assistant mike mccreery. e-mails are being reviewed showing the former penn state president had knowledge of that incident and agreed that it would be humane to sandusky not to report the mcqueary allegation to authorities. the inaction of penn state officials makes the school a prime target for civil suits.

>> if those in power at penn state had taken action in the early 2000 and stopped at nothing to see that justice was serve odd jerry sandusky, then my client would not have been molested in 2007 and 2008. >> for "today," michael isakoff. now 14 minutes past the hour, here is jenna. mitt romney is wrapping up a private donor retreat today get to know some possible running mates, as well. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning, jenna. >> mitt room knee and the rnc jouz outraised obama and the democrats by 17 million in the month of may. talk to me about money and put it into context. how does this cash influx influence the white house? >> well, look, it's important.

it's important for advertising. it's important for voter mobilization. money matters. we know that. and we're not just talking about toudz groups where there's a lot money, as well, but that governor romney does not directly control. going into this race, the fear was that president obama was going to be the billion dollar man and that he was going to raise huge summes and romney has proven to be an incredible front raz razis raiseer. those who remember president bush, even giving nods to romney. romney is putting himself in a very good position. >> we mentioned earlier romney's private retreat that he held in utah. it was to bring in some high paying donors. it was to welcome in some potential vice presidential candidates. paul ryan was there, louisiana governor bobby gindahl. noticeably absent, mark arubio

was not there, said he wanted to spend the weekend with his kids. should we read into that sfp. >> god bless him, he's actually here this morning which is one of the reasons he's not here. we invited him, he made that commitment and kept it, so we appreciate that. all of these questions about proximity is going to raise questions about who is up, who is down. romn romney and arubio, he's a rising star in the party. this is so difficult for those of us to cover politics are trying to get into the middle of. mitt romney wants to make a statement with his running mate. all candidates to. we're just not sure which statement he wants to make. in the past, in the recent past, you don't see candidates making purely political choices just to get a particular state. i think there will be other factors at work. >> and wholse do you have coming up on the program this

morning, david? >> we're going to talk to darrel issa. also, new mexico governor bill richardson, former governor, to talk about this executive privilege fight and to talk about the politics of immigration, as well. >> david gregory, thank you very much. >> thank you. coming up next, how would you like to have the gene of england as your boss? why buckingham palace is hiring, right after this. wing] we're here because we wanted to come as much as they did. (girl) it's really hogwarts! because i can fly with harry! because i love seeing him like this! (screaming) ahhhhh! (narrator) from unforgettable adventures to the wizarding world of harry potter, only at universal orlando resort. i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped.

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for a change of careers, maybe something a bit more majestic or royal, well, listen to what duncan is going to tell us. if you don't mind moving across the pond, there's a pretty good job available. >> reporter: there's a "help wanted" sign hanging at buckingham palace. the queen of england is looking for a new household manager, and what a house it is. the grandest address in london, the headquarters of the british monarchy. from state banquets to garden parties, this job is all about hospitality. >> we're very fortunate at buckingham palace to do a range of the most extraordinary events. that's very exhilarating. >> reporter: not for mention stressful. every glass needs polishing, the silverware takes three weeks. and make sure you get those distances right, because the boss has an eye for detail. >> always, always check the dining room table, always check the seating.

>> reporter: whoever gets the job will be working here at buckingham palace and windsor castle. they'll have a budget of $3 million because this is one of the most important jobs in the royal household. like having company around the house? you'd better. you'll be in charge of organizing state dinners with guests, including the obamas. >> the united states remains our most important ally. >> reporter: and royalty from around the world. not to mention the other 50,000 visitors a year. >> i think the most important skill for a royal servant to have is to be able to keep a cool head. you can't be intimidated by some of the people you're serving. >> reporter: but while the queen's standards are high, she is kind and caring. >> quite honestly, i can safely say she's one of the best employers i've ever had. >> reporter: and if that doesn't tempt applicants, there's always the paycheck, a cool $80,000 a year. for "today," duncan, nbc news,

london. still to come on "today," a quick-thinking 11-year-old boy springs into action and calls 911 from under his bed when intruders come into his house. >> are the cops here yet? >> be quiet, okay? talk very softly, okay? >> hear how he turned the tables on some would be thieves. but first this. with the capital one cash rewards card you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try. [ strings breaking, wood splintering ] ha ha. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your...your... and micro-climate controls powered by twinchill™ technology, the new ge french door refrigerator is engineered

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still to come on "today," swimmer janet evans at age 40. can she make a comeback at the london games? she's not the only one taking to the water. i did a little kayaking and rafting down the rapids myself. first these messages. [ jennifer garner ] why can't strong sunscreen feel great?

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buy any kfc 10 pc meal or larger and choose two more large sides free. today tastes so good. good sunday morning, everyone. thank you very much for being with us today. hope you're enjoying the "today" show perform it's 6:26. looks like the sun coming up. looks like another nice weekend because there's a lot to do outside this weekend. >> a lot of pressure around the forecast. >> just the number of events around the bay area. >> a great weekend to go to the movies because nobody will be there. >> or the south bay, quieter spot. some of the things around san francisco, pride in san francisco, 60s there. if you like nascar engines,

temperatures in sonoma in low 70s. east bay, alameda county fair, 70s. and a bit of an earlier start to the a's verse giants, temperatures mid-60s again. cooler toward evening. one thing to watch, if you're weigheding up toward mp cool t t temperatures, 60s and 70s. the 80s come back wednesday and thursday 37 the mild summer pattern continues as we go through the forecast ahead. one of the big events is gay pride. hundreds of thousands will show their pride in san francisco, one of the biggest celebrations of its kind in the world.

san francisco gay pride parade quicks off at market and beale street and followed by main street celebration at city civic plaza from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this evening. several streets will be shut down along bette and market. not only traffic but parking is a nightmare downtown. although the map, thousands that celebrated last night at annual paint party. this year event organizers tonighted down the revelly by alcoholed and hired san francisco. now we'll have much more ahead on today in the bay. we would like to give you a live look at what's going on in egypt awaiting the results of last week's presidential election. the choice between hosni

mubarak's former -- one of his former government members and then a leader of the muslim brotherho brotherhood. the decision was to come down about 6:00 this morning. we'll keep monitoring the situation. and throughout the day today keel be alive pictures tahrir square looking to see what's going to happen when that decision comes down and we'll have that live this morning. join us at 7:00 for "today" in the bay.

we're back on a sunday morning, june 24th already, 2012. our thanks to a wonderful crowd spending part of their morning with us here on the plaza and those of you at home watching from the confines of bed, we appreciate that. i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. i don't know why i got into all that detail. >> i found it interesting. did you guys find it interesting? >> they just want to see themselves on tv. we've got a lot coming up in this next half hour. an 11-year-old's 911 call that we've been talking about all morning. the brave florida boy was home alone recently when he heard intruders come inside his house. we'll have that story for you in just a few minutes. and olympics now just a

little over a month away, and at 40, janet evans has already got five olympic medals. she got her gold as a teenager. she's back in the water and going to take her shot this week to see if she can make team usa and compete in london, so we'll catch up with her and find out what's motivating her. >> yeah, we saw some trials yesterday on nbc. swimming trials are next week so it will be interesting to see who does what. and i had a little swimming trial myself, although mine was the actual event i'm pretty sure. i checked in at the u.s. national whitewater center in charlotte, north carolina, not out west where you think it was. it was literally anything but smooth sailing, but i had a good time. it's literally like, jenna, can you do this? no. okay, so go do it anyway. >> that's one of those artificial courses, right? >> it's the largest man made course in the country. >> have you seen muggily yet? he has been crowned as the world's ugliest dog. >> but muggily is okay with that.

>> yeah, he's okay. we'll meet him and his owner and talk about the big honor, if you will. >> it is an honor. >> it's an honor, sure. >> his owner was very happy about that. >> any time you're the best anything, it's an honor, i suppose. we want to get a check of the weather again with crystal egger. hey, crystal. >> good morning. speaking of best, if you live across the northeast, you are not going to be complaining about the weather this weekend. perhaps some of the best days we've had so far this year. can't say the same about the coast of florida. unfortunately we've got tropical storm debby spinning here with heavy rain. locally we could certainly see some coastal flooding, especially across the panhandle. look at the heat building across the rockies. a couple of days with record highs will threaten some of those records once again all the way up to the canadian border. it is going to be sweltering. i've got to talk to this cute kid out here real quick. i happened to notice the sign and the shirt he's got on. tell us real quick about your city and why it smells like cheerios. >> we're from buffalo and in

buffalo we have the cheer yo factory right in the center. every day they make cheerios and it spreads over the city so it smells like cheerios everywhere. >> do you like cheerios? let's look at your hour by hour day planner. 50s through most places. around lunchtime should seen numbers getting into the low 70s, livermore, pleasanton. look for a sea breeze to pick up. i think it will get gustiy along the coasts again today and cooler monday as the trough of low pressure crops the coast and temperatures rebound as we head to the middle of the week. you can go to weather.com 24/7. jenna. crystal, thanks. it's a parents' worst nightmare.

your child is home alone when someone breaks into the house. it happened to an 11-year-old boy in florida, but armed with just a cell phone and his dog, he calmly managed to turn the tables on his intruders. the amazing story now from nbc's thanh truong. >> reporter: luis gutierrez had just left his 11-year-old son home alone to pick up dinner. within three minutes three burglars broke into their home in southeast florida. the boy's parents don't want his face shown. >> i was watching tv. i went to get something to drink when i saw somebody through a hammer through a window. >> reporter: not knowing what to do, he grabbed his dog, a cell phone and called his dad, who told him to hide. >> i was shocked, scared. >> reporter: he ran to his room, squeezed himself between a desk and his bed and quietly called 911. >> how old are you? >> 11. >> reporter: the dispatcher tries to get more information.

>> what does he look like? >> i don't know -- [ inaudible ] can you please come? >> you don't know if he's a white male or a black male? >> no, please just come. >> reporter: he tells the dispatcher that he hears voices near him. she consults another person. >> he says he hears him. that's what he said. i don't know if it's real or not. >> it's real, it's real! >> reporter: waiting for police, the boy's fear intensifies. >> are the cops here yet? >> be quiet, okay? talk very softly, okay? >> okay. >> reporter: minutes later, officers arrive. >> i see them. >> you see them? you see the officers? >> can i come off of my bed, under my desk? >> yes, come out from underneath your bed and go to the officers at your bedroom window. can you see them? >> i'm coming out. >> reporter: soon after, thanks to the help and guidance of an 11-year-old boy, authorities arrest three juvenile burglars.

>> i just can't believe what happened to us. i see it on the news every day and when it happens to you, that's when it gets you. >> reporter: a relieved and proud dad. as for the kid -- >> do you think you're brave? >> yes. >> are you proud of yourself? >> yeah, i'm proud of myself. >> reporter: as he should be. for "today," thanh truong, nbc news. >> now once again, here's lester. >> thanks. when you think of poverty in the u.s., you probably don't conjure up images of families in the suburbs, but these days there are more poor people living in suburbs than there are in cities. take diane and john. a year ago they lived a comfortable middle class life in colorado. then diane lost her job and their savings ran out, and diane was forced to do something she never imagined. go to her local food pantry. >> i tried to park as far away as possible and then i walked around the building to see if there was a back way in and a back way out.

i put my hair in a ponytail and wore sunglasses. >> like you were doing something illicit? >> right. it just felt that uncomfortable. >> diane makes it through that first visit, but she is mortified the day she can't afford a baby-sitter and has to bring her kids. >> i don't want them to remember this time. >> diane? >> hi, how are you? >> and i don't remember them to remember a food pantry in their life. how are they going to process that? what's going on and when is our life going to feel normal again? mom and dad really haven't pulled it together yet. >> in fact, they haven't. and now it's getting serious. diane and john are fighting more and more. their arguments get so bad, they decide to go to a marriage therapist. >> this crisis has really taken a toll on your relationship.

>> it has. >> it's a glimpse into a place rarely visited by tv news cameras. a place where diane and john's fears, anxieties and resentments all come tumbling out. >> just a couple of nights ago we were at each other's throats about things. i think i said there's the door. >> this mess did not happen overnight and it's not going to get cured overnight. but people panic. that's why the situation is so volatile. and when you're stress and you have all this worry and there's all this -- >> kids. >> -- fear, how are you going to pay the bills, how are you going to keep the lights on, how are you going to get food. >> how am i going to get my kids to college. >> yeah. >> things like that. >> retirement, college, all those things are totally on hold right now. and that's got to be very disillusioning. >> for diane and john, the upcoming year is shaping up to be an uphill battle. we hear more of their story and

we'll meet other families struggling in the suburbs. you can watch "dateline's" america now, lost in suburbia tonight right here on nbc. up next, janet evans struck olympic gold at age 17. can she do it again two decr mee afesagthss right after these messages. . . . . . and it gives us broad-spectrum uva/uvb protection.

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this morning on "today's" countdown to the olympics, janet evans and her quest for an olympic comeback. she won her first gold medal at age 17. that was back in 1992. she now hopes to earn a spot on team usa and compete in london for the summer games. but at age 40, getting there won't be easy. every morning before the sun is up -- >> jump! >> -- janet evans is in the pool, swimming laps right along high school athletes half her age. but she hardly feels like a fish out of water. >> my stroke feels like it did when i was in my teens. >> a considerable statement given that, as a teen, this

three-time oh limpan, now 40, broke seven world records and captured five olympic medals. >> she has a silver and is going for the gold. >> and now she wants to go for it again, in london. so what are you doing? how's that for a first question? >> what am i doing? well, i'm swimming again. a couple of summers ago i just was down at the beach actually and thought, gosh, i'd like to get in better shape. i just thought, you know, i think i'm going to jump back in the pool. >> evans didn't jump, she dived right back into the sport that put her on the map. after announcing her comeback one year ago, evans teamed up with her former olympic coach and has been training twice a day, six days a week. >> i've been at swim meets with 18, 19, 20-year-olds. here i am, 40 years old. i haven't been to a swim meet for years. it was a little intimidating. >> evans will compete in the olympic swimming trials this week for a spot on team usa. >> now, when -- so you got back into the pool.

was there any goal in mind that this is going to lead to, you know, an olympic bid? >> there was no goal. i felt like i always wanted to swim again but there were priorities in my life. >> those priorities include a husband and two young children. >> to be able to come back at 40 and even qualify for olympic trials in the 800 meter freestyle, it reminds me that i was given some god-given abilities somewhere and it makes me respect what i accomplished, you know, in the past even more. >> but based on what you're seeing, given enough time, you think your body can take you there? >> you know, i think my body can take me there if i have enough time. one of the things my coach and i have been surprised at is how quickly i recover. so, you know, for me it's just a question of getting better and getting stronger. >> coach mark hubert says what evans lacks in speed, she makes up for in experience. >> the swimming world has gotten faster, but it really hasn't gone much past her best time. i think the advantage janet has,

because of her age and experience is, you know, her maturity helps her to keep everything in perspective. >> evans won three gold medals in the 1988 seoul olympics and earned another gold and silver four years later in barcelona. but her most memorable olympic moment came at the '96 atlanta games. >> i'd give up every gold medal for that moment again. >> it was shortly thereafter she hung up the goggles for good, she thought, got married and started a family. the question now is does janet evans still have what it takes to make a splash. what are your expectations? >> when i was swimming in my teens and 20s, i felt a lot of pressure, especially at the end. you know, i felt like, my name was janet evans and i was olympic champion and the world record holder and i swam because i was supposed to. and this time it hasn't been a job. at the end of the day if i never swim another stroke, i still have my family, my kids and my legacy.

and the ability to -- accomplishments by others. >> she's got a great attitude. i was going to say it's a bit of an uphill climb but that would make it a water fall. >> yes, it would. >> dara torres is going to be at the trials, 45, competing to be in her sixth olympics. so a lot of inspiration in the pool. >> she's in phenomenal shape as well. there must be something in that water. which i'm clearly not swimming ahead. >> we wish them both the best. just ahead we'll introduce you to the world's ugliest dog and jenna goes rolling down the rapids. first these messages. rolling d rapids. first these messages. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged.

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you can imagine of all the crazy things i've ever had to do, whitewater rafting has never crossed my desk, until now. so my surprise when i wasn't sent out to the rockies but instead i had to book a round-trip ticket to north carolina, of all places. what's that saying about being up a creek without a paddle? okay. so i had a paddle, but a simple creek this is not. ♪ this, just a short drive from charlotte, is the u.s. national whitewater center. >> the white water park right here behind us is the largest whitewater channel system in the world. >> reporter: all the excitement of a real river with the convenience of an on/off switch. and then just like that, back come the rapids and gravity takes care of the rest. >> we have 21 feet of drop.

all the water feeds down into itself. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of adventurers visit this vast outdoor complex each year. some bike, others climb, some fly a little, but the main draw here is the water. >> we see a lot of kids come out. parents are really excited to get their son or daughter into something that's kind of different. >> reporter: make no mistake, these rapids aren't just child's play. the u.s. olympic trials for canoe and kayak were held here back in april. so if it meets olympic standards, it most likely meets jenna standards too. >> we're going to do a full-on olympic trial type whitewater course, correct? >> maybe close to it, yes. >> that was in air quotes. >> reporter: steven runs it here and was on the u.s. olympic team for nine years. but today instead of his normal partner, he'll have a different co-paddler.

>> are you sure you know what you're getting into? >> i'm thinking so. we'll see how it goes. if there's any danger, i'm getting out, you're on your own. >> believe me, i'm the first to say that's what you should do. >> you're going to be sitting in the front. >> oh, okay. shotgun. i feel like we need water. >> i think so. >> here we go. we're kayaking. >> reporter: a few practice runs to get the hang of it and off we go. ♪ >> we made it! barely. >> it's an escalator for a kayak. >> reporter: so as much fun as the kayak was, those wonderfully bouncy rafts were calling my name. a quick swim lesson in the likely event of a capsize, and

it was back in the boat for the time being. ♪ hoisted from the rapids thoroughly soaked, my tank on empty, i had one last request. hang me out to dry. >> i so easily could have made that a one-trip ticket, just a one-way ticket. i had so much fun. it's the largest man made whitewater rafting facility in the country. >> actually it looked like a lot of fun. >> yeah, and that's where the olympic hopefuls train as well.

it was definitely challenging and we had a really good time. so 2012 is turning out to be a pretty big year for great britain. the queen's jubilee, the olympics and, of course, mugly. >> mugly, a 15-pound chinese crested from the u.k., mugly recently crowned the world's ugliest dog at the 24th annual contest in petaluma, california. joins us this morning along with his owner, bev nicholson. >> good morning and congratulations. >> thank you. >> welcome to the united states and the "today" show. >> should we find out why you named him mugly? >> well, he has an ugly mug so we put the two together and came up with mugly. >> i know there was a lot made about the ugliest dog crowned in the united states and you said i've got an ugly dog. so you called the press and they picked up on mugly. >> ten minutes later the phone is ringing. i could hear everyone laughing in the background and saying we've got to send a photographer up to look at your dog and he was declared britain's ugliest

dog. >> what i loved reading about was your reaction. you reacted as if you had just won a $500 million lottery. >> i felt as though i had. it was amazing. everyone sitting there, all the press looking at me and all of a sudden they said mugly's name. it was like oh, my goodness. it was amazing. >> and what is it that makes mugly so mugly? >> he's got no hair, right? >> he seems to have a lot of hair in this general area. >> he's got no hair. >> he has no harrah part from one eyebrow and some whiskers. >> is this the outfit -- >> this is the outfit that he wore on the day of the contest. >> it's different. >> wow. bev, we thank you so much for making the trip. i assume that will not be shaved or waxed in any way. >> oh, no, no. >> gosh forbid he loses his title. >> congratulations, and thanks inatfo storm watchinpping by. we appreciate it. >> we'll take a quick break and are back right after these messages. ic spirit right in our own backyard.

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we end, as always, this sunday morning with today's life illustrated. you know, june is always a pretty big month for weddings, so today we're going to close on a romantic note with photos you sent of blushing brides and grinning grooms. >> and next week, it's a day at the beach. send in your memories of days by the ocean. >> you can submit them to our website, today.com or on facebook or twitter as well. >> that's going to do it for us today. i'll see you back here for nbc "nightly news." until then, so long, everybody. thanks for watching. >> have a good day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com