Hannah Teter
Encyclopedia
Hannah Teter is an American snowboarder
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...

 from Belmont, Vermont
Belmont, Vermont
Belmont is an unincorporated village in the town of Mount Holly in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Belmont is about six miles west of the village of Ludlow....

. She is an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. She also won bronze at the 2005 FIS World Championships
FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2005
The FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2005 took place between January 16 and January 22 in Whistler-Blackcomb, near Vancouver, Canada. The venues would be part of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Cypress Mountain.-Snowboard Cross:...

 at Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...

, and has six World Cup
FIS Snowboard World Cup
The FIS Snowboard World Cup is an annual snowboarding competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1998.-Overall:-Giant Slalom:-Slalom:-Halfpipe:-Snowboard Cross:-Parallel Slalom / Parallel Giant Slalom:-Overall:...

 victories in her career. In January 2010, Teter was named to the US Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. She won the silver medal in women's halfpipe
Snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's halfpipe
The women's halfpipe competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Cypress Mountain on February 18, 2010.-Qualification:-Semifinal:-Final:-References:...

 at the Vancouver Games.

In 2010, Teter was also one of four American athletes chosen to model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

 for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....

 in a section devoted to Winter Olympians.

Teter is also noted for her charitable work, including founding her own organization called Hannah's Gold.

Early life and career

Born into a snowboarding family, Teter is the youngest of five siblings. Two of her four older brothers, Abe and Elijah, have competed for the US Snowboard team, and her eldest brother Amen is their agent and manager. Both of the Teter parents, Jeff and Pat, were skiers, but have since been converted to snowboarding by their children.

Teter started snowboarding at the age of 8, taking her first lesson at her home mountain of Okemo
Okemo Mountain
Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Ludlow, Vermont. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town, and was the home of a General Electric plant until 1977. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009...

. She is an Okemo Mountain School graduate. http://www.okemomountainschool.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41:hannas-gold&catid=42:alumni&Itemid=67 By 2002 at the age of 15, she was the World Junior Halfpipe Champion, and had begun riding on the FIS Snowboard World Cup
FIS Snowboard World Cup
The FIS Snowboard World Cup is an annual snowboarding competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1998.-Overall:-Giant Slalom:-Slalom:-Halfpipe:-Snowboard Cross:-Parallel Slalom / Parallel Giant Slalom:-Overall:...

 circuit. Teter achieved a 4th place finish in her first World Cup halfpipe event at Valle Nevado
Valle Nevado
Valle Nevado is a popular ski resort located 46 kilometers east of Santiago, Chile.Valle Nevado is one of South America's most modern ski resorts...

, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 in September of that year.

Ben & Jerry's limited edition flavor "Maple Blondie" was created in her honor.

Professional career

From 2002–2004 Teter competed in seven World Cup events with four victories, at Sapporo in 2003 and 2004, Valle Nevado in 2003, and at Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

 in 2004. Competing at the Winter X Games, Teter won bronze in 2003, and gold in 2004.

In 2005, Teter reached the podium with a third place finish at her first FIS World Championships
FIS Snowboarding World Championships
The FIS Snowboarding World Championships is the world championship organized by the FIS for Snowboarding. It was first held in 1996 and is now held every odd year...

, and added two more World Cup victories at Valle Nevado. Teter also earned another Winter X Games bronze in 2005. During 2005 Teter was hampered by a knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...

 injury which required two surgeries; in her words: "there was a chunk of bone that had separated and it was kind of dangling around."

At the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, Teter was unsure how well she would be able to perform because of that injury. However, she went on to win the Olympic gold medal in halfpipe, beating out US teammate and friend Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler is an American professional halfpipe snowboarder. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and is married to Chris Hotell.-Career:...

, who won silver. Teter's accomplishment was rewarded further by the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...

 who named her the USOC SportsWoman of the Year
USOC Athlete of the Year
The USOC Athlete of the Year awards are presented on an annual basis by the United States Olympic Committee to athletes who have distinguished themselves in one of the Olympic or Paralympic sports...

. She also won the ESPY Award for Best Action Sports Female in 2006.

After the 2006 Winter Games, Teter spent time focusing on humanitarian causes, but returned to the World Cup circuit in 2009. Since returning from hiatus she has taken the podium at two World Cup events and the 2009 Winter X Games, as well as a victory at the 2009 Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...

 Grand Prix. At Grand Prix events held on January 22–23, 2010, at Park City
Park City Mountain Resort
Park City Mountain Resort is a ski resort in Park City, Utah, located east of Salt Lake City. The resort has been a major tourist attraction for skiers from all over the United States, as well as a main employer for many of Park City's citizens. Park City, as the resort is often called by locals,...

, Teter had two second place finishes. The performance locked up her spot for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver. Following the Park City GP, Teter announced that she would donate her $10,000 winnings for the weekend to a humanitarian relief fund to aid survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...

.

At the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Teter had a strong performance in the qualification round for the women's halfpipe
Snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's halfpipe
The women's halfpipe competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Cypress Mountain on February 18, 2010.-Qualification:-Semifinal:-Final:-References:...

 with a score of 45.4, the second place score, earning her a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...

 to the finals. After the first run of the finals, Teter was in first place with a score of 42.4. In the second run, Teter's earlier score was topped by Australian Torah Bright
Torah Bright
Torah Jane Bright is an Australian snowboarder. She turned pro at age 14 and finished fifth in snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. She lives and trains in the area of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...

, who scored 45.0, a mark Teter was unable to beat in her second run. Teter finished with the silver medal. Fellow American Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark is a snowboarder born in the village of West Dover in the town of Dover, Vermont. She has been snowboarding since she was 8 years old, and began competing in 1999...

 won the bronze medal.

Media and business ventures

Before going to Turin for the 2006 Olympics, Teter was featured in the 2005 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about the growth of snowboarding, First Descent
First Descent
First Descent is a 2005 documentary film about snowboarding and its beginning in the 1980s.The snowboarders featured in this movie represent three generations of snowboarders and the progress this young sport has made over the past two decades...

. The movie, which was filmed in the mountains of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, starred Teter alongside snowboarding legends including Shaun White
Shaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...

 and Terje Håkonsen
Terje Håkonsen
Terje Håkonsen, is a Norwegian snowboarder.Håkonsen dominated freestyle snowboarding in the 1990s winning the ISF World Championships in half-pipe three times in a row, in 1993, 1995 and 1997. He has also won 5 European championships in half-pipe , the U.S...

. A short behind the scenes
Making-of
In cinema, a making-of, also known as behind-the-scenes, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program...

 documentary titled AK and Beyond was made at the same time, also featuring Teter.

Teter and her brother Abe were also featured in the 2006 documentary Snow Blind
Snow Blind (film)
Snow Blind is a 2006 documentary film about the history, culture, and lifestyle of snowboarding. Shot over the season of 2004-2005, the film covers the origins of snowboarding, the evolution of it into an Olympic sport and the passionate participants, thrill seekers and competitors.The film was...

about the history of snowboarding and its evolution into an Olympic sport.

Teter also appeared in a brief NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 Brain Bites educational video "How Is A Snowboarder Like An Astronaut?"

In 2009, Vermont based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...

 created a new flavor in honor of their fellow Vermonter; Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie, a creamy maple ice cream with blonde brownie pieces and a maple caramel swirl. The new flavor went on sale in December 2009, and a portion of proceeds will go to Teter's charity. Company spokesman Sean Greenwood said: "...maple is an easy tie for Vermont but we thought it would be great to do it with a Vermonter that makes a difference."

Teter was one of four Winter Olympic athletes chosen to model for the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....

, in an "Olympic Stars" section of the popular annual magazine. Teter's photo shoot took place at Whistler Blackcomb, the venue for several events of the Vancouver Olympic Games. Teter joined fellow snowboarder Clair Bidez, and skiers Lacy Schnoor
Lacy Schnoor
Lacy Schnoor is an American freestyle skier who has competed since 2003. Her best World Cup was eighth in an aerials event in Canada in 2007....

 and Lindsey Vonn who also modeled for the issue. While Teter and the other athletes received some criticism for participating in the photo spread, she responded to her critics saying: "I don't believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies. That's just so wrong."

Charity work and philanthropy

In 2008 Teter founded a charity called Hannah's Gold which raises money through the sales of Vermont maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...

. The charity, in partnership with World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...

, helps to support the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Kirindon, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 through building schools, digging fresh water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...

s, and providing water filtration. In 2009 Teter donated all of her prize money to the Kirindon program. She has also worked to raise money for Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...

 and other causes, sponsors children in Honduras and the Philippines through Children International
Children International
Children International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to bettering the lives of impoverished children, their families and communities....

, and is a spokesperson for Boarding for Breast Cancer
Boarding for Breast Cancer
Boarding for Breast Cancer is a 5013 nonprofit foundation that provides breast cancer awareness, education, prevention and support for young people and the action sports community at large...

.

In 2010 Teter launched a new charity initiative, Sweet Cheeks, which donates 40% of the sales proceeds from an exclusive line of underwear to partner organization Children International to help feed children living in extreme poverty around the world.

Teter's charitable work earned her an award for the Do Something Athlete in the VH1 Do Something Awards. The awards show, produced by Vh1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

, is dedicated to honoring people who do good and is powered by Do Something
Do Something
Do Something is a non-profit organization that motivates young people to take action around social changes through national campaigns and grants for projects that make an impact. The organization's CEO is Nancy Lublin, who founded Dress for Success in 1996.-History:The organization was co-founded...

, an organization that aims to empower, celebrate, and inspire young people.

Other titles, awards and honors

  • 2009 Gold medal at the Burton Australian Open
  • 2009 Gold medal at the US Snowboarding Grand Prix in Boreal
  • 2006 Winter Gravity Games Silver medalist, women's halfpipe
  • 2005 Vans Cup champion
  • 2005 US Open bronze medalist
  • 2005 Nippon Open silver medalist
  • 2005 Winter Gravity Games silver medalist
  • 2004 Finalist for the ESPY Awards for Best Female Action Sport Athlete
  • 2004 US Snowboard Grand Prix halfpipe champion
  • 2004 NASJA "Competitor of the Year" title and award
  • 2003 Vans Triple Crown halfpipe title + silver in slopestyle
  • 2003 Became youngest member of the US Snowboarding Team
  • 2002 First Female Snowboarder to land a 900 in Competition

Teter has been nominated for three ESPY
Espy
-People:* Cecil Espy , American baseball player* Duane Espy, American baseball figure* James Pollard Espy , American meteorologist.* Mike Espy , American politician* William Gray Espy , American actor...

 awards.

External links

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