Meet the Man Behind the Mascots

By WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd.

Soon after WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd. secured the bid to host the 40th WorldSkills Competition, they were tasked with finding a mascot that represented Calgary to the world.

Two Clydesdale horses, known for their hard work and dedication to duty, were chosen to represent WorldSkills Calgary 2009 – but it’s 23-year-old Cole Bowen who really gets the job done.

As Volunteer Mascot Coordinator for the largest independent event ever hosted on Stampede Park, Bowen works hand-in-hand with promotions and marketing to ensure unbearably cute mascots Tug and Tess are everywhere they need to be. “The mascots are the icon of the Competition,” he said. “I do take my job really seriously because if you’re not careful, you can have people pass out from heat or exhaustion. You have to keep them cool, give them breaks when they need them – a person’s life is in your hands.

“I really want to make our city and WorldSkills Calgary 2009 proud.” 

By July, a team of 15 volunteers will be in place to play Tug and Tess, who will be used to bring awareness to skills, trades, and technologies in schools, events, and more. They are crucial to the One School, One Country program, which matches 159 elementary and middle schools with one of the WorldSkills International Member countries/regions that is sending a team to compete at WorldSkills Calgary 2009. Students learn about their matched country or region’s culture and their part in the Competition. Tug and Tess star in the One School, One Country educational book that was released in June.

Bowen’s passion for mascots began in the summer of 2008, when he played Tansi, a white-tailed deer representing the Saskatchewan Summer Games. When he moved to Calgary, he became a mascot for SAIT’s (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) men’s hockey team.

“The best feeling I ever had was when I was a mascot for them during their championship game,” he said. “I was in the mascot uniform and just shaking with excitement. It changed my life to be on the ice with them when they received their medals."

Now that Bowen is in charge of Tug and Tess, he’s going to make sure his team is taken care of and plans to throw a pizza party halfway through the Competition in September to keep them motivated.

After the Competition, Bowen begins the two-year Travel and Tourism program at SAIT, then plans to transfer into an Event Management bachelor’s degree.

For more information, please visit: www.worldskills2009.com.