one of the sweetest moments of the olympics so far. noelle pikus-pace races to celebrate with her husband and kids after winning silver in the skeleton. we're going to talk to her and her family live today, saturday, february 15th, 2014. ♪ >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today at the olympic winter games" with lester holt live from olympic park in sochi, russia, and erica hill live from rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt here in sochi with natalie morales, erica hill and dylan dreyer back home. we're going to check in with both of them in just a little bit. we also want to tell you, that crowd back there, they're like -- [ cheers and applause ] >> huge crowd! >> they're going to probably leave us in a short order to go over to that u.s. versus russia

hockey just across the way. >> that's right. >> they're getting warming up for a rivalry. >> we're in the middle of the action for now, though, and we need to chant along with them, usa. >> usa! >> i can't wait! we'll get right to today's top story. we are in the middle of several olympic events right now. >> so, here is what happened so far this morning. the americans failed to win a medal this morning in the women's super-g. austriana fenninger got the gold and julia mancuso came in eighth. and eddie alvarez was eliminated after separate crashes. there was a lot of action, though, last night from a rough-and-tumble night for men's figure skating to one of our favorite moments so far. >> noelle pikus-pace has that olympic medal! she finally has it! >> this morning, silver's never seemed so sweet. >> oh, my goodness! thank you, thank you, thank you so much! >> 31-year-old noelle pikus-pace came out of retirement in the hopes of winning an olympic

medal in women's skeleton. friday, she did just that. and in one of the most memorable celebrations so far, jumped into the stands to celebrate with her family. >> oh, my god! >> in men's alpine skiing it was a bit of a meltdown for american men in the super combined race. >> oh! a mistake right there! >> five-time olympic medalist bode miller and reigning world champion ted ligety came in 6th and 12th. >> i mean, really, it's a joke, to put it simply. >> but in the most talked about event of the night, the final phase of men's skating. things took a sloppy turn. >> oh. >> oh, he needs to stay focused here. >> ooh! >> again, another step out. >> patrick chan of canada, favored for olympic gold, came in second. and despite taking two falls in his free skate, japan's 19-year-old yuzuru hanyu claimed gold thanks to a great short

program. >> yuzuru hanyu of japan knows that he looks good to take home that gold. >> all right, so, let's take a look at the medal count, where we stand right now. the u.s. and norway tied for the lead as we speak, 13 medals each, and both also have 4 gold. close behind, germany, russia and the netherlands all have 12 medals. >> team usa had hoped to have a few more medals to add to that count with high hopes of winning on the speed skating track, but instead, they may -- and i emphasize -- may have been dragged down by what some are calling faulty suits. anne thompson is up in the mountains at rosa khutor with more. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. you know, one of the biggest surprises of these olympic games is the fact that no u.s. long track speed skater has made it to the medal podium, despite the fact that some of the best skaters in the world are on that squad. so, team usa is changing what the athletes wear. it's got to be the suits. u.s. speed skating apparently thinks so, announcing it's

ditching the suits once touted as revolutionary, made by under armour with the help of lockheed martin, maker of fighter jets and rockets. after six long track events, the u.s., a team that had dominated, so far has come out empty-handed with zero olympic medals. >> there will be no three-peat. >> reporter: shaan yni davis, t world's best, finished a shocking eighth. >> richards will have to keep the tempo up a little bit. >> reporter: heather richardson and the american women altered the new suits for thursday's race. >> a patch to cover up the vent that was originally on the suits when the team arrived here at sochi. >> reporter: that vent is supposed to reduce body heat, but it's suspected of creating drag and slowing the racers down. now it's back to the old racing suits, also made by under arm r armour, the same ones the team wore during the world cup competition. so, is the path to the podium in the suit? with shani davis competing in

the 1500 meters today, we may soon have a better idea. >> he's got another gold medal! >> reporter: now, after the initial concerns were raised on thursday, under armour's senior vice president of innovation, kevin haley, said that the company would move heaven and earth to make those suits better. team usa says that the change of suits will not affect its relationship with under armour. lester? >> and anne, as you know, there's been a lot of buzz about this. what's the word --hat's the rest of the speed skating community saying about these suits and whether they're to blame? >> reporter: well, people seem to be divided into two camps. the dutch team says they tried suits like these that have that vent down the spine and found that they did create a drag, but there are others in the speed skating world who say, look, it's not a matter of the suits, but it's just the fact the u.s. is getting beat on the track by better athletes. and i think the real test will come today in the 1500 meters, lester.

>> we'll all be watching that, certainly. anne thompson, thanks very much. natalie? all right, well, back at home, the big story, of course, continues to be the weather. and today there is a bit of a warm-up, which could cause new problems, because all of that new snow from the past few days is now starting to melt, and there are still thousands of flight delays that people are dealing with this morning. let's start you off with dylan dreyer. she's at new york's laguardia airport with more. dylan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. yeah, the temperatures are up to about 36 degrees right now. it actually feels pretty good, but melting snow is a heavy snow. we still have about 2,500 flight delays and about 700 flight cancellations, but here at laguardia, things are running just fine for now. we do have more snow in the forecast later on today, so obviously, that will back things up again in northeastern airports. now, down in pennsylvania, it was the roads that were an absolute mess. actually, after the snow stopped, it could have been solar glare that caused this massive pileup on the pennsylvania turnpike. that was cleared up all day long

yesterday, and then eventually, the road was reopened. and you can see that roof collapse at a sports facility in new jersey. we also saw a lot of problems with cleanup in new york, where a snowplow actually tossed a lot of the snow right into a restaurant, which knocked some people over. so, it's the cleanup that's been a huge issue. and of course, now we're talking about more snow moving into the northeast. it's inching closer to new york city, although into the northeast. it's inching closer to new york city. we are going to see things deteriorate throughout the day with some pockets of heavier snow. but this is going to be more of a new england snowstorm as we go through the rest of this afternoon and into tonight, as well. so if we look at some of the maps with what we're expecting with the next snowstorm, you can see it's another area of low pressure that's going to make for all of these winter weather advisories and blizzard warnings right along the coast of massachusetts. stretching down into cape cod where it's not just the snow, it's the wind that is going to

make things very, very tricky up that way and reduce visibilities. turns into a nor'easter when it strengthens off the mid-atlantic coast and it's that northeast wind that could gust at times up to 55 miles per hour. visibility will be extremely reduced. driving is not recommended once this snow starts. but in the new york area, we're looking at about 4 inches or so, but it's up across parts of massachusetts, especially in plymouth, massachusetts, where we could easily pick up a foot of snow and parts of cape cod could see about 8 to 10 inches, then you go up into maine and that's where it's going to be measured in perhaps feet. we could see a foot to a foot and a half, close to 2 feet of snow with those northeast winds keeping all that moisture coming onshore. so it is going to be brutal later on today. but in the northeast, again, we're looking at about 2 to 4 inches, which is just enough to slow things down on the roads and at the airports, too. natalie? >> yeah. add insult to injury there, dylan dreyer in new york, thank and we want to get a look at

some of the rest of the morning's top stories. >> and we go back to new york and erica is standing by. good morning. >> good morning, guys. nice to see you. parts of south carolina and georgia rattled by an earthquake on friday night. emergency management officials say the 4.5-magnitude quake was the strongest to hit south carolina since 2002. it was centered seven miles west of edgefield, south carolina, but was felt as far west as atlanta. that's about 150 miles away. the good news here, no injuries reported. the investigation into the miami dolphins bullying scandal reveals a pattern of harassment in the team's locker room. a newly released report finds there were more victims and bullies than originally thought. gabe gutierrez explains. >> reporter: the independent investigation concludes miami dolphins offensive lineman jonathan martin was the target of a pattern of harassment by three teammates. the 144-page report calls lineman richie incognito the

main instigator, but also blames teammates john jerry and mike pouncey for the reported abuse, which included racial slurs and sexual taunts against not just martin, but an unnamed offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. >> this report looks a lot worse than any of us expected. >> reporter: the revelations come more than three months after martin abruptly left the dolphins. >> i felt trapped, like i didn't have a way to make it right. >> reporter: that launched a national debate about bullying. >> no matter how bad and how vulgar it sounds, that's how we communicate, that's how our friendship was. >> reporter: just a few days ago, incognito vented on twitter -- "dear jon martin, the truth is going to bury you." but on friday, a different tone -- "please stop the hate. happy valentine's day." his attorney is saying the report is full of errors and that "martin was never bullied by richie incognito or any member of the dolphins offensive line." the report concludes that incognito didn't intend to cause

lasting emotional injury. >> i hope the lesson is for not only football but for all of us in the country, that we've got to be a little more sensitive. >> reporter: late friday, the dolphins owner insisted "this situation must never happen again." martin's agent says his client feels vindicated. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. a major blow to union organizers in the south. workers at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga, tennessee, voted against being represented by the united autoworkers on friday night. that vote is seen as a major setback for the union's efforts to make its way into the south, where foreign automakers have more than a dozen assembly plants. expect to see a noticeable increase in gas prices in the coming weeks. oil analysts say the price at the pump will spike as spring approaches, but it won't be as high as the annual rise seen in years past. right now, the national average is $3.34 a gallon. aaa predicts a peak of between $3.55 and $3.75 a> a an underwa

of the eight-armed variety. take a look at this video. here you go. a pair of scuba divers in carmel, california, they were about 80 feet down in the water when they came across this guy, a giant pacific octopus, which as you can see here, swam up, gave the camera a little hug there, and then didn't let go, trying to pull their camera away. the octopus latched on for a good few moments before one of the divers then flashed, as you can see there, flashed the camera's lights. that scared the big guy away.th said to be rather shy. this one's perhaps not. lester, you may remember, i met a giant pacific octopus at the national aquarium in baltimore last year, and they'll reach out and touch you. so. >> always bring your flash along, right? >> there you go. >> erica, thanks very much. >> that is a look at the news. i think dylan may have a look for us at the rest of the country's forecast. >> i think she does. >> good morning, guys.

i would love to see the see thes an octopus would take going way down deep. we are looking at the cold temperatures on the east coast, but out west, it's a whole different story. we ended up with near record temperatures in some parts of the southwest. you can see we made it into the 80s yesterday, 89 degrees in parts of california, 79 down through southern texas. so it was a nice, warm day yesterday and they are the ones getting a break from the winter weather. today, it's going to be another warm one, too. but in the pacific northwest, especially along the coast of oregon, that's where we're seeing heavy rain and mountain snow. it's that stream of moisture, but that is good news for northern and central california, as well. but look at some of the rain totals we could see. inches of rain and feet of snow. flood warnings in effect and high wind warnings, too. it is going to be a nasty day out that way. but they do need the rain and mountains do need the snow. it'll melt and that will help with the drought situation out that way.

that's a look at the weather across the country, now here's a peek out your window. >> good saturday morning, everybody. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. and outside of our windows rain drops and snowflakes. the panhandle of west virginia and much of the blue ridge in the shenandoah valley. here it is on the radar, mostly rain in the metro, but a rain/snow mix out west. we could see an inch to two inches of snow out towards the pennsylvania border. temperatures right now generally in the mid-30s. a coating to an inch around town, more to the north and west. have >> and that is your latest forecast. now back over to lester in sochi, where it is so much warmer than it is here. >> i didn't even want to mention, it's actlly warmer today than yesterday, but -- oh, i did mention that. sorry, that came out of my mouth. dylan, thanks very much. the men from team usa didn't win a medal in the men's figure skating competition, but you wouldn't know that based on the smile on 19-year-old jason brown's face when the event was over.

he finished ninth, and teammate jeremy abbott finished twelfth. jason brown and jeremy abbott, good morning to you guys. nice to have you both here. >> thank you. >> good morning. thank you for having us. >> and the crowd says hi as well. [ cheers and applause ] jason, you told reporters, i'm just happy to finish in the top ten, but the truth of the matter is it wasn't really a great night for the men. so, you were really in position for the bronze when you stepped out there. were you feeling the pressure? >> for sure! it's always exciting to go last after everything unfolds in front of you, and i wanted to go out and put out the best performance i could. and you know, it was a little bit disappointing. i wanted to skate better, but i enjoyed every moment and i just had a blast out there. >> the crowd loved your performance. as we know, we've seen that it went viral on youtube, previous performances of "the riverdance" routine. but in technical scores, though, you know, you had a few falters there. what are you doing mentally at that point? you just go for it? >> yeah, you just keep going. you train the program so much, so you just put whatever happens, you know, what happens and just move on and keep focused and go on to the next

thing. >> jeremy, you skated a clean program last night, which a lot of the skaters can't say they did. first of all, were you in any pain from the wipeout the day before? >> yeah, i was in a lot of pain yesterday. basically, i was seized up from my hip up to my shoulder, like all the muscles. and i had full range of motion, but when i went to engage the muscles, it was excruciating. so, like, i couldn't do any, like, triple loop jumps, so we had to kind of scale back my program a little bit yesterday. like, my combination was supposed to be triple lutz, double loop, and i had to do double toe. and at the end, i was supposed to do the loop and i did the double axel because of the pain, i couldn't take off. but you know, i came here to compete, and i wasn't going to let some draescrash, you know, of derail that. >> you ao weren't going to let the haters derail it. someone asked you a question -- [ cheers and applause ] there you go. someone asked you, in clutch moments, falling and something, and you were pretty pointed that, this is hard.

this is more than hard what you guys are asked to do. >> absolutely. you know, i've been called a head case for many, many years, and it's just, you know, you start to buy into it for a while. and i've come to learn that i am so much stronger than people give me credit for and that i give my own self credit for, and i was fed up with it. i just wanted to be like, look, you guys haven't been in this position and it's very, very difficult. >> good for you. seriously, good for you. jason, you're 19 years old. you finished in the top ten here in the olympics. what's the -- it's been said that you don't have a quad yet in your program. is that next, you've got to work on that? >> it's definitely next. i'm working on it every day. when it is ready, it's going to be put in that program, and i can't wait to see, you know, when it is in the program, what unfolds. you know, to put out a clean skate with a quad, i really do feel like the possibilities are endless in the future. >> you guys made a lot of people proud. thanks for stopping by. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good to have you here. all right, still to come from sochi, a russian history lesson about the vikings on the high seas. and keir simmons finds out that

the job is not as easy as it looks. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ if you close your eyes welcome back to sochi. now, when you think of the vikings, places like norway and denmark probably come to mind, but as our keir simmons has found out, the russians actually had a big influence here in russia, more than you might imagine. keir, good morning. >> hi, natalie, good morning. have you enjoyed the week? >> i've loved it! it's amazing. >> wonderful country. >> it's a great country. >> people enjoyed these sporting competitions through the ages, including the vikings, who, it turns out, sailed the black sea right beside us here and have a deeper connection to russia than you might think. >> who sails with me? >> reporter: vikings, warlords of the sea. in northern europe, they still celebrate their viking roots.

but few realize the vikings got as far as russia, too. they came in long ships built for long distances, like this one in the viking museum in denmark. and i am about to find out how they traveled so far. what does it take to be a viking? >> they're all over the world. it was bound to happen. i'm sorry, everyone. >> reporter: but i soon got the hang of it. well, sort of. my flame-headed viking friend in front of me is making me look pretty shabby, to be honest. >> yeah. >> reporter: centuries ago, viking warships like "the sea stallion" sailed across the atlantic. >> the vikings were the first europeans to travel to north america. >> reporter: and they sailed east, reaching as far as what's now called st. petersburg. ♪

centuries before peter the great built this magnificent city, the vikings were here, rowing these very rivers, taking their viking boats across this vast land. they settled and traveled on south, past where sochi now is on the black sea to get to the caspian sea. and because they were rowers, some historians claim they became known as the rus. >> these people living here called rus, that part lived on into the word we have for the country, russia, rusland today. some people think that rus means the people who are rowing. >> reporter: back on "the sea stallion," it's time to stop rowing and start sailing. >> it's just so amazing to be able to experience history in such a way. >> reporter: a history that

stretched as far as russia, perhaps giving the country its name, and lending russians some of their fiery spirit. >> how are we doing, vikings? [ cheering ] >> it's amazing to think, isn't it, the going way that the vikings sailed to both russia and the usa. and guys, there are still some vikings around. we posted this picture of a wanna be viking watching the curling. he doesn't look like the fiercest viking, i have to say. >> no. i think you needed a hat for that when you were rowing. >> that's actually me, there, to be honest. >> you always hate when the captain says, i want to go water skiing. >> yeah. faster, faster, faster! seer simmons, thank you. good to see you. still to come this morning on "today", we're going to check in with the young girl whose parents fought to get her a lung transplant. all that and more from sochi, including one of the nhl's best players on home ice in russia preparing for a matchup for the ages. >> that's going on right now,

matchup for the ages. >> that's going on right now, bu

good is in every blue diamond a good that comes in 25 flavors. from whole natural to wasabi and soy sauce. and once good gets going, there's no stopping it. get your good going. blue diamond. snack nut of the u.s. ski team. good morning, it is saturday, february 15th, here's a look at smoof our top stories this morning. the outer loop of the beltway part of it is blocked off this morning after a tractor-trailer lost control and flipped on its side. maryland state police have been on the scene now since 3:15 this morning. officers are detouring traffic. there's to word on how long it's going to take to clean everything up. a firefighter was hurt during an apartment fire today in germantown, maryland. officials say the firefighter had minor injuries and should be okay. the red cross is helping some neighbors who were forced from their home. no word, though, on what caused

that fire. and this morning, people across the region are still digging out from the snowstorm. last night, we saw large patches of snow that started to re-freeze once the sun went down. we also found an unattended car left running stuck in the snow. that car was eventually moved by the driver and a friend. we're going to check your snowy forecast next.

good morning, everybody, meteorologist chuck bell. light rain inside most of the metro area, but there are snow flakes mixing in and changing to mostly snow for loudon county out toward fredericks and hagerstown. 37 downtown, 34 leesburg, with temperatures just cold enough to support some snowflakes, we could get a coating to one to two inches of snow. steadier snow amounts and higher snow chances across parts of northern maryland into the panhandle of west virginia where 2 to 4 inches of snow are

possible. most of the rain and snow coming to an end early to mid afternoon today and then turning windy and cold for your saturday night out. >> all right, thanks. the next update is 25 minutes away, but now back to the "today" show. ♪ we're back on this saturday morning. it's february 15th, 2014, a gorgeous day here in sochi. those unseasonably warm temperatures holding steady in the middle of what is supposed to be winter. although it's important to point out that average winter temperatures here are in the 50s in sochi. >> yeah, this is the warmest place for winter olympics. >> so it's unseasonably warm, but it's not necessarily a cold-weather place to be. i'm lester holt alongside natalie morales. erica and dylan are keeping on top of everything non-olympic back in new york. that's right, and coming up in this half hour, he is called alexander the great. for alex ovechkin, this is one

of the biggest days of his life as he faces off against the united states right here in his home country. we're going to catch up with him. then, figure skating turns to the ladies very soon. gold medalist scott hamilton will tell us who has a chance at bringing home the gold. and later, the woman who gave up her coveted spot on the biathlon team for her twin sister got to see her compete here in sochi. we're going to talk with them live about their emotional reunion. but let's begin this half hour in new york and an update on a little girl who captured a lot of our hearts last year. yaerk? >> all right, lester, thanks. you may remember sarah murnaghan's story. she's the 11-year-old girl whose parents fought a very public battle to change the rules on who could receive donor organs. sarah did receive a double lung transplant this summer. kristen dahlgren spoke with her about how she's doing now. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, erica. what a remarkable little girl. now, some eight months after two transplants, sarah is doing great. she still has challenges, but

she also has a message of hope. >> can i swim? >> no. >> reporter: for 11-year-old sarah murnaghan, a snow day spent playing inside with her siblings is a miracle. >> am i brown? >> reporter: less than a year ago, she was in a hospital, her lungs riddled with cystic fibrosis. >> out of breath. >> reporter: given just weeks to live. >> i thought she was going to die. >> reporter: sarah was just 10. but in a case that drew national attention, her parents had to go to court to have sarah put on a transplant list for patients 12 and up. >> she told me to never, ever give up on her. >> reporter: sarah is still a fighter. when a judge ruled the guidelines should change for her, she received two double lung transplants. the first set failed. the second surgery worked. now back home with her family, sarah showed me the tough physical therapy she does every day. >> all right! all right, show me your muscles. can i see them?

huge! you got strong. >> i guess. >> whoa! >> reporter: she still needs to be careful. her immune system is weak and her bones brittle and fractured from the medication and so much time on bed rest, but every day brings improvements. she now breathes on her own, can get up and downstairs. and friday night, the girl who wants to be a rock star got a hero's welcome at a cystic fibrosis benefit. and the little girl who's been through so much brought this message to others who are suffering. >> whatever you are dealing with, young or old, just to be yourself. look deep inside yourself for that bravery and reason to fight. >> isn't she amazing? her mom tells me she feels like what sarah's been through has saved lives. she's still fighting, though. she wants a temporary stay to transplantules to become

permanent. she says, whenever possible, the sickest patients should get organs first. erica. >> thanks. great to see her making such a good improvement. want to get another check of your weather from dylan. hey, dylan. hey, erica. good morning, everyone. things are okay rightbut we are snow move into the new york city area. but by the time we get into next week, we will finally be talking about a warm-up around here. it's all about the jet stream. we have been stuck in this pattern with a jet stream sitting well down south. and that drags that cold air from the north. teens, 20s, 30s, 40s down into the southeast. but as it flattens out by wednesday, temperatures start to moderate. but then watch what happens as we go into friday. you get a ridge in the jet stream along the east coast. and that's going to allow some warmer temperatures. so instead of 20s, we're looking at 40s, not too bad in the northeast. we'll take it after the winter we've had. and speaking of winter, we are going to see more snow, especially up across parts of new england where there are blizzard warnings up and down the coast of massachusetts.

we could end up with a foot and a half of snow in parts of maine. that is going to start to get cranking into this afternoon and especially into tonight. but it pulls away pretty quickly. and we should start to see improvements as we go into sunday. especially across massachusetts and then eventually it pulls away through maine by sunday night. that's a look at the weather across the country, now here's a peek out your window. >> good morning, everybody, i'm chuck bell, winter weather advisories for northern maryland, the panhandle of west virginia, the blue ridge and the shenandoah valley going until early this afternoon. storm team 4 radar continues to show mostly rain in the metro, but a rain/snow mix that becomes mostly snow out toward the blue ridge. temperatures are generally at or above freezing, so not much of this is going to stick on the roads, but on the grassy surfaces could get an inch or two. be keeping a close eye on that. staying cold all the way through the weekend, milder, though, b >> and that is your latest forecast. lester? >> all right, dylan, thanks. now to the winter games' most famous rivalry, the u.s.

versus russia in men's ice hockey. they're playing right now, but these aren't the nameless, faceless russian hockey players from those miracle on ice days. russia's biggest star is a fan favorite in the u.s., washington capitals superstar alex ovechkin. he spoke with kevin tibbles before leaving for sochi. >> ovechkin, score! >> reporter: they call this scoring machine alexander the great. and while he hails from moscow and stars on the russian olympic team -- >> one city to another city. >> reporter: -- it's in the u.s. capital where alexander ovechkin reigns supreme. >> ovechkin, he scores! >> reporter: when you meet him -- [ speaking foreign language ] -- this 28-year-old superstar comes across as a big, likable kid, whose first task was to learn english. >> hello, how are you, all that, nice to meet you, all that kind

of stuff. >> reporter: with the washington capita capitals, ovi speaks hockey. an nhl all-star, most valuable player, most outstanding player, most goals, most points. i'm out of breath. ovechkin was even selected to be the first russian athlete to carry the torch. he credits his mom and dad, star athletes themselves, with mentoring him every step of the way. to introduce me to his olympic homeland, we went to washington's marivana russian restaurant. let's go. after helping translate the menu, his favorite soup, forst. can't beat that! how do you say bon appetit in russian? [ speaking russian ] >> reporter: off the ice, he chills with fiancee tennis star meira kirilenko. >> when she saw me the first

time, she fall in love with me right away. >> immediately? >> immediately, yeah. >> reporter: and you? >> it took me -- >> reporter: what, 15 seconds? >> 25. >> he was just, you know, off doing the point, come on, maria, let's go! and they'd be like, shhh. can't you just be quiet, please? >> reporter: meanwhile, the main course, beef stroganoff, arrives. >> this is good, huh? >> uh huh. >> reporter: and what's alexander the great's dream? olympic gold and the stanley cup in the same year. that's a big dream. >> yeah. i'm probably done with hockey right away. >> reporter: well, then you could take up tennis. when he's on the ice, russian fans will be calling shaybu, a shaybu. what is that? >> like score a goal, score a goal. >> reporter: and if anybody knows how to do that, it's this guy. kevin tibbles, nbc news, washington. >> we actually may be hearing that because we're just about 50

feet from the stadium where they're playing right now. just ahead, gold medalist scott hamilton on the men's figure skating this week and what to watch for in the week ahead. later, silver medalist noelle pikus-pace on her big win and how she's made the winter games a family affair. but first these messages. "top nbc sochi moments" presented by chevrolet. tonight in prime time, it's a short track sprint in the men's 1000 meters. two-time vancouver bronze medalist j.r. celski of the u.s. races in one of his signature events, in a field featuring three-time olympic champion viktor ahn of russia and charles hann of canada. for mow, go to nbcolympics.com. [ girl ] what if i race so fast, the world stopped for a minute?

[ girl #2 ] what if i had a sled and all my friends got in it? [ boy ] what if i took a shot and scored the winning goal? [ boy #2 ] what if i cut through the winter air and didn't feel the cold?

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both stumbled. is that -- >> well, they're both going for the gold medal and it's going to be one of those two, and i think they had that in mind. if they could just navigate the long program, they'd be able to win a medal. and you have to think after hanyu went down once and then tripped out of the double flip right here, the next time, you'd think that, well, okay, now it's all chan. >> right. >> chan's got it. and when you heard the score, you know, he had to think, okay, i've got this. but then he went out and he had his own mistakes, and it was just a tragic night. when you're looking at what's going to represent this four years in this olympic games, and to think that the top two men skated as poorly as they can skate, it just, you know, it's just not a great night for the sport. >> yeah, well, team usa was hoping that jason brown could make that leap from sixth. >> that was a lot to ask. that was a lot to ask. >> was that because he doesn't have a quad in his routine? >> well, you know, he doesn't have a quad, and you know, he's young. i mean, he's brand new. we tend to forget that skate america in october was his first senior international competition. >> mm-hmm.

>> and he was freaking out there, that it was like he was living the dream of his life just being in his first senior international competition. so, to make the olympics? i mean, i can only imagine, you know, his brain's about to explode with all the great, good fortune that he had. and you know, it's just a learning experience, you know. for him to be mathematically in it, it wasn't -- it was kind of about that, but for me it was more about the fact that we've got this amazing talent in this incredible kid that's got a lot of public interest. and you can build on that. he can build on that and so can figure skating. >> maybe four years from now, we'll be seeing a lot of him. >> yeah. >> let's look ahead to monday and tuesday. of course, meryl davis, charlie white, is that our best shot or best hope for gold, in the ice dance? >> easily. meryl and charlie, they've won two world championships, and their only competition or their training with tessa virtue and scott moir, and it's going to be between those two. they were the best in vancouver and they've maintained that quality all the way through this olympics period. and now here, it's going to be one of those two. but to see what happened in the team event with the canadians,

it really, it kind of elevated charlie and meryl to another level. and so, it's going to be a lot for the canadians to kind of close that gap now. >> and really quickly, gracie gold and ashley wagner, what do you think their shot is here and who's their competition? >> the ladies' event is compelling. you've got yuna kim coming back, you've got, you know, lut skia, who's become this international sensation. we have two american ladies that are incredible, but watch out for polina edmunds. i mean, she was second at nationals. first-year senior, she's got all the qualities in the world. she's very much like her in a way that she's young and good technically. we have a lot to look forward to. >> scott hamilton, thanks so much. you can catch all of the olympic action in prime time at 8:00/7:00 central right here on nbc. up next, some very unlikely volunteers at the sochi olympic games. we'll explain right after this. life with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

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so i figured hey, i get it, kids get stains. but we have these three beautiful little girls, and they make us look like amateurs. so i'm living in a world of tiny sweaters and dolphins and weird greasy mystery stains. i'm gonna get you. but this new tide ultra stain release has a crazy amount of cleaning power and a pre-treat zap! cap that helps me get out pretty much any stain. can i help? aww. just kidding. she got me. [ female announcer ] now with new tide ultra stain release you can help remove 99% of everyday stains. ♪ an american girl we're back on a saturday morning from olympic park in sochi. the games have been running smoothly so far, and that's due in a very large part to the tens of thousands of volunteers who are here. >> yeah, they're from all over the world, including more than 100 from the united states. and tamara smith is originally from connecticut, but she has lived in moscow for the last ten years. hi, tamara! >> hi! >> so, you came to russia ten

years ago, and now you love this country so much. but this right here is your dream come true, right, being here for the olympics and being able to volunteer? >> absolutely. absolutely, in so many ways, it's a dream come true. >> you speak five different languages. what is it like now when an american visitor comes up to you, and suddenly, they hear your english, american accent and english. you probably have to tell this story over and over again, don't you? >> the americans aren't very surprised when they hear me speaking english, but they're surprised when they hear me speaking other languages. and the team i'm helping was quite surprised to find out i'm american. >> you help the french team, right? >> yeah, the french team here dealing with ice fork. >> what is your duties? like what is a typical day for you? >> every day is completely different. some days i'm greeting athletes at the airport, taking themaccr them to their krenn ven as you. other times i'm driving athletes or team officials up to the mountain clusters, helping them get to where they need to go. >> and i love you took on some other duties that were not assigned to you. >> yeah. >>

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put him out of contention, skated for his life. >> his instinct to get up and keep on trying after that bad fall was truly courageous. >> reporter: japan's yuzuru hanyu fell twice. >> oh, no. >> oh, no. >> reporter: but his first skate had been so good, he took gold. at just 19 and suffering from asthma. team usa's skaters struggling in the long track, will be changing their suits over fears that vents in the back are slowing them down. while up in the mountains, the controversy continued over conditions, ted ligety couldn't cope with the warm weather. >>ouee how soft that snow is. this is not holding up at all. he cannot take the line he wants to. >> reporter: then bode miller. >> whoa! holding on there just barely. >> reporter: both failing to medal. today, more training sessions in halfpipe, aerial and cross-country were canceled or rescheduled as the snow melts. .

but here's the thing, as you know, you can't win if you don't play. tonight's powerball drawing now up to $330 million. that makes it the tenth largest annuity jackpot ever. so, if you don't have a ticket yet, you've been warned. and there's still time, so go get one today. and if you win, you could share it with the girl who told you about it. just a thought. let's get a check now of the rest of the country's forecast from dylan. dylan would be happy to help you with that money as well. >> reporter: i would definitely put that to use. but you know, i always play and i never women win, so i guess you keep trying. we're looking at snow in the northeast, but rain in the northwest. in the northwest. we've got heavy rain in parts of oregon. you can see it is just streaming in off the pacific ocean in an area that needs some rain. it'll even stretch into parts of california where we could see those flood warnings all through the weekend. it's the wind that could create serious issues with the power has arrived.

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more snowflakes on this saturday morning, just as we begin to dust off from this week's massive winter storm. many of us are about to see some more snow. this is a live look right now at hagerstown, maryland, where the flakes are already starting to fall as you can see. we're going to get an updated forecast in a moment. but first, a very good morning to you. the time right now 8:26 on this saturday, february 15th, i'm angie goff. and we begin with breaking news out on the roadways. all lanes of the outer loop are closed right now because of this overtu the 15-kilometer event f

u.s. woman in 20 years. >> and now there she is, number 81, lanny barnes. >> she wowed if she won a medal in sochi, she'd give it to her sister. and while lanny's performance friday wasn't medal-winning, the sisters' story of selfless love has touched the hearts of many around the world. and lanny and tracy barnes joining us here. welcome! >> thanks for having us. >> good to have you. lanny, maybe it wasn't the finish you wanted here. you came in 64th, butter sister, tracy, surprised you here in sochi. were you expecting her to be here at all? >> you know, there was a lot of talk before the games, people trying to scramble and see if she can make it here, and it was kind of last minute, but she made it, and i was so happy to see her. >> aww. so, to have her there to see you finish, what was that moment like? >> you know, it was incredible having her out there. and you know, i think in order to honor her sacrifice that she made to me, i was going for

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this is good. i like everything. >> you're a good eater. so, this is everything with pickle. so, what is that? >> pickled bamboo. >> okay. that looks really good, actually. >> it really is. >> i like the pickled foods, you know? >> love pickled foods. and -- >> good. a strong pickled flavor, though. >> yeah, it is. we didn't bring anything to wash it down. you have to try this. this is the string cheese. it's really smokey cheese. i think it originally comes from armenia, but they sell a lot of it here. i like it. >> it tastes like bacon. >> doesn't it make you want a beer? that's what i said. >> very salty. wow. >> how about something sweet now? >> i'm in for something sweet. >> chirchella. >> this is like snickers? >> they call it the dry snickers. it's like grapes and nuts. >> and the inside. all the different colors, i guess different flavors? >> i don't know. >> mm-mmm, that's good! >> isn't that good? a lot of nuts in there, though. if you're not a nut person, you wouldn't like that. >> i do like it. very good. now -- >> i said this is like a fruit

traffic. police had to detour drivers on to route 414 for the last few hours as road crews struggled to get that truck back on its tires. we'll be following the situation there on the beltway now that it's cleared up, it's looking good. and we'll be sending out alerts on nbcwashington.com. other big stories, rain and snow mix across the d.c. region, take a look reegt here. the same system's creating quite the mess in western maryland. you're looking at live conditions out in cumberland. the snow making it difficult to see the roadway. >> chuck bell is tracking it all. he's got how much snow we could see today. good morning. >> good morning. yes, indeed, western maryland, if you're going out to western maryland to go skiing this weekend, they're under winter storm warnings and quite a bit more snow in western maryland. inside the d.c. metro area, hovering above the freezing mark, we're getting the mix of rain and snow. but we will see an opportunity anyway for maybe another couple inches of snow well to the north and west of the metro. northern maryland, panhandlef