USC junior Jasmine Tosky has announced her retirement from competitive swimming on the same day as the pre-cut selection lists for the NCAA Championships were revealed without her name on them – when she otherwise would have earned an invite to the meet.
“This was not a spontaneous decision and I understand it was not elegantly timed,” Tosky said of her decision. “I am very grateful that my coaches and teammates have supported me. I also want to thank USC and the entire Athletic Department. This decision was made completely separate from USC and I look forward to completing my degree in business administration next year. My time as a Trojan means the world to me. Fight on!”
Tosky is a former member of the USA Swimming National Team and was a member of the 2010, 2011, and 2012 World Championship meets, including golds in both 2011 and 2012 as a prelims swimmer on Team USA’s 800 free relays. She also placed 9th individually in the 200 fly at the 2012 World Short Course Championships.
Tosky earned 5 All-American awards in her three seasons at USC.
“During every athlete’s career, regardless of success realized or not, they will come to the decision to retire from the sport,” USC head coach Dave Salo said. “Jasmine’s decision has been made during the process of training and competing each and every day over the past couple of years. We admire the courage it took for her to conclude that she was done with swimming during the Pac-12 Championships when her teammates and coaches were there to be supportive of her decision.”
Salo continued: “It is with the greatest respect that I appreciate Jasmine felt it was best for her and, maybe more importantly, for her team, that she should conclude her season now rather than later. There is no greater personal accountability from an athlete than when they decide on their terms when to retire. Jasmine is a proud Trojan and we are excited for her as she moves on in her life without collegiate swimming.”
With retirement, Tosky gives up one remaining season of eligibility.
The USC coach had a classy response. However, I thought Tosky’s move was disappointing. To retire mid-season (mid-meet!?) is not a classy way to end a career. Tosky said she had been considering the decision for quite a while. If she was able to stay in the sport for quite a while when she was considering her decision, I believe she ought to have stayed through the NCAA’s, because that would have made her a true team player. When you commit each season to swim with your team, that is a commitment a swimmer should take very seriously. Should she have kept swimming through NCAA’s if her heart wasn’t in it? Even if she were miserable swimming? I believe yes.… Read more »
Hawaiiswmr your comments that her decision to leave mid-season was disappointing and not classy indicates you don’t really understand what it takes to put the team first. At a meet such as Pac-12s or NCAAs you can’t just “go through the motions” for your team, just so you can say that you finished your season and “completed your commitment”. To say that she should have kept swimming through NCAAs even if she was miserable and her heart wasn’t in it is ludicrous. She would not be doing her teammates or her coaches any favors by stepping onto those blocks without the passion and fire that one needs to have when you are swimming at meets of this caliber. When your… Read more »
Is she retiring from collegiate swimming or from swimming in its entirety.
Confused – swimming in its entirety.
Almost all college teams lose a swimmer or two each year for one reason or another. Because these girls had success, this becomes a major discussion about the competitive swim process? The only reason this is topical is because SwimSwam wrote about it and the internet allows for anonymous discussion. I don’t think this is a big deal at all. Doesn’t need to be a reason other than “I’m done’! Any of you decided to quit a job? I say “next topic” please. Because this one should be over.
Hi Observation, welcome to sports. Because these girls had success, yes, the story is more relevant than the “swimmer or two” that each team loses each year.
If you say so. My point was I don’t think this story is anything new and is somewhat common in college.
When a swimmer is an olympic hopeful in high school, yeah, people wonder why one retires the year before an olympic year especially when she still has another year of eligibility..
Charlie- Actually, good point regarding Tosky. I was thinking if I were one of these girls reading these comments. They are still student athletes and not professionals.
Braden a bit off topic but what happens to the scholarship that Ms Tosky had or has. Does that become part of the aggregate scholarship pool available to be reoffered, does she retain her scholarship and how would that be treated going forward under the new PAC 12 system that guarantees scholarships for 4 yrs
If Miss Tosky thinks she gave all she could to swimming and has no regrets about retiring, then we have only to respect her choice.
I wish her the best for the rest of her life.
So the head coach of PASA would kick a kid off for missing one morning practice? Since I have intimate knowledge, I know you’re wrong.
I know for a fact that PASA does have fun – more fun than other teams half their size. PASA teaches balance and that swimming can’t come higher than fifth in your life.
So perhaps Maddy and Jasmine reached the time in their lives that they are ready to move on with school or jobs and understand that something has to give. Should they give up school and keep swimming? Or put their health at risk – physical or mental well being?
Of course everyone reaches a time where they are just… Read more »
this is not true. i actually swim for pasa and i know someone who was kicked off the team for missing a morning practice.
I call cowpoop on this
Mentioning suicide is a little extreme and off topic here.
SwimTroll is getting demonized, but people don’t want to admit that these kids are under enormous pressure, and despite what parents want, they really can’t have it all (the academic/athletic quixotic pursuit of perfection has its costs). SWIMRMOM above extols the PASA and its surrounding community’s virtues, but is it any coincidence that that area has the highest teen suicide rates in the country?
In some respect you have to applaud a swimmer like Tosky’s bravery in admitting that she couldn’t continue to try to balance an unbearable load. She now has a year more of college to experience all that a place like USC has to offer and find some fulfillment beyond the pool’s rat-race.
Dear CRAIGH, I was just presenting some simple and real facts about PASA, and answered to the question about the success of the PASA swimmers. The suicides, and all the stress that the kids are suffering in that area are driven mostly by the parents, and by the school system. PASA doesn’t have any connection with any of your negative comments. On the opposite – my kids were happy to go to practice to meet with their friends and forget about all that school stress, plus the coach was very understanding and allowed them to miss practice in favor of school (tests, finals, etc). Again, I’m talking about the group and the coach that my kids had. When I noted… Read more »