SHE'S GOT A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

The process of change might sometimes seem to come about as slow and tedious as pouring maple syrup out of a bottle.

Hannah Teter is willing to wait it out.

The easygoing, energetic and wide-eyed Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe at the most recent Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, is all of 19 years old -- meaning the world would seem to still be worth conquering beyond a few dazzling method grabs and frontside 900s with an iPod strapped inside your Burton jacket.

And the world -- this world, her world, our world -- does need help desperately in a number of ways. So maybe something as simple as some backyard boiled maple syrup can eventually seep into the public consciousness.

That's the sweet, sticky stuff that Teter has decided to use, thanks to her mother's suggestion, to raise money and awareness for world hunger. That's Hannah's Gold, the name she has attached to bottles of Grade A medium amber pure Vermont maple syrup tapped from the trees her dad has taught her about not far from the family home and sold online (www.hannahsgold.com) at $15 a pop to help feed poor children in Africa.

Put that on your waffles and chew on it.

``I find it a privilege to have this voice now and to try to force some change,'' Teter said Saturday morning, sitting at a small restaurant up from the Glendale Galleria with her boyfriend, Eli Lieberman, a day after the two participated in a charity music event at The Derby club in Hollywood. Lieberman's reggae-infused band, Strive Roots, provided the music for the event, as well as continuing to supply plenty of inspiration for Teter.

It was a Strive Roots song, ``Communication,'' that Teter listened to on her headphones while whipping down the giant curved ramp in Italy on her gold-medal spin just a few cold months ago. And it's been Lieberman's mantra of ``We've got to save the people before we save the planet'' that seems to have stuck with Teter as she resets her life's priorities while recovering from some knee surgery and taking time off from the slopes.

Right after the Olympic Games success and a whirlwind tour of TV talk shows and public appearances, Teter's soul-searching for a way to give back led to establishing a partnership with World Vision, a Christian relief organization trying to tackle world-wide childhood poverty and AIDS no matter what race, creed or color of the victims. Over the past few months, Teter figures she has raised about $5,000 -- just for starters.

As the youngest kid of five for Jeff and Pat Teter growing up in tiny but breathtaking Belmont, Vt., the hours of time Hannah spent each day consumed with nature probably had an unconscious effect on making global issues a priority. Winter-sport athletes, in general, seem to have more of an inbred ecological awareness because of their needs. With the greenhouse effect, there's less snow. With pollution, there's not enough clean air or water. It's inconvenient for some, but that's the truth for those who depend on it.

Awareness of the human condition somehow struck Hannah Teter at this point in her life.

``This is a good starting point for her,'' Pat Teter said of her only daughter. ``And I think this is just the beginning; there's a lot more she says she wants to do. We're so amazingly proud of her accomplishments at the Olympics, but this is probably more important, as far as I'm concerned. She can influence generations behind her who look up to her. What an opportunity she has.''

It was U.S. speed skater Joey Cheek who drew attention during the 2006 Winter Games when he donated his $25,000 gold-medal bonus from winning the 500-meter race to the Right to Play charity, an organization founded by Norway skating champion Johann Olav Koss in 1994 to help African nations.

Cheek's donation specifically was earmarked for helping children in the Darfur region of Sudan. Teter's focus, also on that region, is equally as important.

Having social consciousness is one thing, but social activism for someone who has yet to figure out what she even wants to be when she grows up shows some courageousness that she can probably make become contagious.

``There are a lot of people my age who believe that, `Why do I have to clean up a mess that I didn't make,''' says Teter, who hardly was shy about handing out cards to patrons and waitresses at the restaurant with information about the maple syrup fundraiser, and offering a fist-bump upon making a connection.

``It's inevitable that we're the ones who have to make a positive change, and make others fully aware of what needs to be done, making them accept more responsibility. I mean, life is great for me right now. It's really fun. It's a party. And if we make (social issues) fun and a cool thing for people do get behind, we can change a lot of things.''

Even by squeezing one Vermont maple tree at a time.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1) Hannah Teter's next mission: To help feed poor children in Africa by selling Vermont maple syrup.

Carlo Allegri/Getty Images

(2) RYAN HOWARD

(3) REGGIE BUSH

(4) MITCH COZAD

Box:

(1) sunday punch

(2) HOT ... LUKEWARM .. COLD FISH

- Tom Hoffarth

(3) FANTASY FOOTBALL

- Matthew Kredell

(4) The Pop Quiz