Canadian sprint freestyle icon Brent Hayden sent out a tweet today that he had a big announcement which had Canadian swim fans on the edge of their seats in hopes of a comeback, but as was revealed later, Hayden announced his candidacy for the Vancouver Parks Board Commissioner position.
The board is made up of seven individuals who oversee the programs, policies, guidelines, and board services in order to ensure the sustainability of recreation along with its continued accessibility.
Hayden, a BC native hailing from Mission, BC. which is about an hour from Vancouver, has shown in his retirement that his passions lie in continuing to improve opportunities for kids in the hopes that they’ll pursue sport.
If elected, Hayden will be chosen along with the other six commissioners to oversee the control of public parks in the city of Vancouver. The position lasts three years, after that there will be another election.
Hayden has a longstanding connection with the province of British Columbia. He swam collegiately for the University of British Columbia, and was even inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 following a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics.
With a sports background like that, Hayden will most likely bring a unique twist to the position if elected.
The citizens of Vancouver will hit the polls on November 15th where it will be decided if Brent Hayden will leave the water for a career in Canadian politics.
When replying to a tweet that his announcement was most likely not what Swim BC expected her replied with, “Probably not what a lot of people were expecting.”