Magoto to enter Hall of Fame

"How do you take 47 years of your life, who you are and what you become, and put that into three minutes?"

For Jessie Magoto, that is something she will try to do when the longtime Minster girls cross country and track and field coach will be inducted into the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OAT&CCC) Hall of Fame on Jan. 28 at the Hilton at Easton in Columbus.

"That's a crazy title," said Magoto about the title of "Hall of Fame Coach." "I'm not quite sure how that fits in yet.

"It's really cool where I'm at right now to be able to say 'Thank you' to so many people. It's cool when I stop and think about all the people that helped me get to where I'm at."

Magoto, who did the phone interview as she was preparing to leave Boulder, Colorado, after a seminar, was honored to be selected for induction, but knows that the accolades were not just hers alone.

"It's a little bit overwhelming. I'm not going to lie that I'm a little bit embarrassed because I'm the one that gets recognized," said Magoto. "You know it's just not one person. It's not just me, but it's my name that gets out there. So, I think of all the people (who have helped). I thought it was so crazy how kind and helpful everyone was to me. Arrogantly, I thought it was just me. That's ridiculous. As I've gotten older, it's like 'No, that's how people are.' People are just that kind, helpful and helping.

"I've been fortunate enough to have connections with so many people. I've been amazed how many people just openly help. I hope in the time I have left coaching that I do the same if I haven't already."

One person that sticks out for Magoto was her coach, Katie Horstman.

"When I was a kid, all I wanted to do is make her proud," said Magoto of Horstman, a 1986 Hall of Fame inductee. "As an athlete, that's all I wanted to be able to do. When I was able to coach at Minster, I still wanted to make her proud. Still, this year after we won the state championship, she called me right away. I just get teared up, like 'Wow! I can still make her proud.' She definitely paved the way.

"I didn't realize what she was instilling in me, who I am as a coach and a person, all those years when she was coaching me. I didn't understand what she was giving to me. Even when I started coaching, I didn't understand what she'd given to me. Now I get it. It's a good time to reflect on who I am as a coach and how much she has helped established the person I am, the character I have and just the things I use or try and instill as coach."

The resume for Magoto is extraordinary since she returned home to coach and teach in 1999: 13 state cross country championship and four runner-up finishes, two state track and field titles and three more runner-up showings to go with a plethora of Midwest Athletic Conference, district and regional championships and numerous All-Ohio athletes.

All the runners and athletes Magoto has coached over the years, the champions and those looking to compete and take part, have a spot in her heart.

"I'm amazed every year," said Magoto. "Someone would ask me about the team right now, they're the great team I've ever coached. Ask me about the team five years ago, they're the greatest team I've ever coached. Ask me about the team 15 years ago or the first year, they're the greatest team I've ever coached. That is unbelievable, the girls I've had the privilege to coach. By far, they teach me more than I could ever teach them."

While Magoto might have difficulty trying to sum up her honor and who to thank in her three-minute speech on Jan. 28, she is certainly not forgetting to thank everyone involved.

"I started writing a lot of thank-you letters and sending them out because there's no way I could put that into a speech," said Magoto with a laugh. "I'm hoping for a little inspiration on how I can sum that up in three minutes."