[twitter]Tourism Calgary has delivered a number of iconic white hats to people in Calgary as part of a social media campaign using the hashtag #underthehat. It’s in conjunction with a marketing effort they’ve launched in Toronto (the center of Canada’s media universe) to capture the imagination of all that happens in Calgary by showing off all the cool things we have to offer.

The white hat is the center of Calgary culture. Visitors coming through town are often “White Hatted” in a ceremony as a sign of welcome. They are invited in as a local and asked to spread their experience of Western hospitality with the world. Will and Kate have been white hatted. So has Oprah. And Pope John Paul II. Even Ozzy Osbourne has been white hatted.

With my white hat, I took Zacharie to Canada Olympic Park, just 4 blocks from our house. Becoming an Olympian was a dream of mine and I’ll admit now that I have kids, I will nudge them in a path that could result in Olympic greatness in hopes they’ll show interest. For Zacharie that might mean luge. Or ski jumping. Or freestyle skiing.

The Olympic dream really started when Zacharie met Alex Bilodeau at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Will the career path arc to the podium?

We’ll see.

In the meantime, for my explanation of what’s #underthehat in Calgary, I salute the multiple generations of Olympians that have come through our city. Many sports bodies have their headquarters here. Athletes move here to be near coaches. We are Canada’s Olympic Capital. Could Zacharie be a future Olympian #underthehat? I can only hope.

“What’s #underthehat in #yyc? The next generation of Olympians. @tourismcalgary #capturecalgary #capturewow #zacharie” – @DadCAMPgram

Here’s more of what others have been showcasing #underthehat in Calgary:

SEE ALL THAT’S BEEN SEEN IN CALGARY