It was just a picture. A rider on her horse. She had just won a gold medal. The medal is no bigger than a coaster and it’s not even real gold, she would say months later. But for many Filipinos, the image was so moving because the girl carried with her our flag — a huge Philippine flag — while she cantered around the ring, biting her lower lip as if to hold back tears.
The girl was Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski. The competition was the Asian Games in October last year. The place was Busan, South Korea. And the horse was Rustic Rouge.
Months later, her victory is still being talked about. Strangers still come up to her and say, "Thank you, Mikee, for making us feel proud to be Filipinos" in a time when there’s very little to be proud of. It’s the kind of story that will still be talked about many years from now — even in a macho country where Flash Elorde and other boxing greats are considered the stuff of legends, where basketball players failing drug tests dominate the headlines.
In a sport largely considered to be snooty, Mike has shown such grace and humility. "The best part of winning in the Asian Games is that it was appreciated back home by people who had their own everyday concerns. It made the victory so much sweeter. For me, that was the most rewarding part. If it doesn’t mean anything to anyone else, it’s not worth a lot."
It’s almost phenomenal how she has brought the sport to the country’s consciousness. Perhaps because it was the Asian Games. Perhaps it was because this was woman power in its purest, proving that many years of dedication and discipline eventually pay off, even if you now live a domestic life as a wife and mother of two. Perhaps it was because Rustic Rouge was the smallest horse in the competition — though she refuses to call her an "underdog" because she might have been the smallest horse but she had the "biggest heart." Perhaps because with that single win she has inspired young girls and boys to take up the sport. Whatever it is, Mikee has earned the respect of the average Filipino who knows nothing about show jumping or equestrian.
Mikee started riding when she was 10. She didn’t ride because she wanted to compete; she just wanted to be around horses. "I just liked horses and that was the most obvious way to be with them," says Mikee, who got her first exposure from her dad Peping Cojuangco’s horses. "Riding has always been there. It was there before acting. It’s part of me. I can’t imagine myself not having anything to do with horses."
Years later, she would have a couple of horses of her own. She would train in Australia, in Europe, in Asia, away from the comforts of home. She would scoop up their manure and brush their hair. She would learn to talk to them, to tell them when they’re doing well and when they’re not. She had Silky Oak, a gift from Virgie Ramos of Gift Gate, and Luisita, who was supposed to be her horse in the Asian Games but was injured prior to the competition "kasi nag-sipaan sila ni Rustic." The two horses — Silky and Luisita — according to her mom Tingting Cojuangco, collected 85 ribbons and 12 medals from competitions. Then there was a horse Mikee had to put down. "It was a traumatic experience, but when you look at the situation it was more humane to do it and it was the right thing to do. It was sad but it could have been worse to watch the horse suffer."
Rustic Rouge — now she’s a special one. Mikee says she was a gift from her husband Dodot Jaworski for Christmas 2001. Ironically, Dodot doesn’t like horses because "he had a bad experience with one when he was young. He got kicked by a horse."
Ah, but when your wife is in love with these animals, you don’t think of your childhood trauma. You just go ahead and buy her one. So with her trainer Vicky Roycroft, Mikee got Rustic Rouge in March 2002 in Australia and one week later she competed there. In April, she brought Rustic home, and from July to September she competed in Malaysia.
"It was a very big risk to take Rustic to the Asian Games. I consulted so many people about it, prayed so hard about it. It was a very difficult decision."
Unlike other athletes, Mikee doesn’t display her medals at home, but the Asian Games medal, "Dodot wants to frame it. All the others, I don’t even know where most of them are."
Why this one? "Because it’s special. The horse was a gift. She’s very feisty. There were so many challenges that I was facing when I was there. It was one thing to be thinking of your performance, of going against other riders who were competing under ‘normal circumstances’ whereas me, I was dealing pa with the personality of this horse, she was a bit difficult. But then it was that same personality and fighting spirit that got us the gold anyway."
Equestrian may be the thing that the public knows Mikee for, but in her private life it takes a backseat to family. She got married in July 1999 to Dodot Jaworski and later bore two sons: Robbie (three) and Rafael (one).
Despite being a celebrity, athlete, model (she was the original Swatch girl) and a riding instructor, she leads the life of an ordinary wife and mother, taking Robbie and fetching him from school herself. "Marriage has taught me to look around me more and see what’s going on and not be as self-centered as I was before. When you’re single, it’s always about yourself, the me-factor. Motherhood and what I have now are so totally different, so challenging and fulfilling. I guess I’m more inspired now. But I’m also a lot more careful. I’m not as daring as I used to be. First and foremost is my safety. Aside from that, when I train now, it’s straight to business and serious work, not like before na maraming kuwentuhan pa."
Mikee’s just thankful that she’s married to a fellow athlete who understands her needs when she’s competing. "He helps me prepare mentally and psychologically. He knows that when you’re about to compete, you don’t bother or talk to the person so much. When you want to ask something, you choose the time and the way you ask so the person is not distracted and can focus, but at the same time, you’re there. Dodot will hold my hand but won’t make me kulit. Had things been different during the Asian Games, if Dodot had been too busy with his work and not able to take care of the kids for me, I wouldn’t have been there."
This couple is very "similar in many ways," which is both good and bad. "It’s good because we understand each other more, why we want to be good in the things we do, why we want to be successful. It makes us support each other a little more. But we’re also two individuals who have had different experiences in life growing up. Unavoidably, we also have ideas that aren’t always the same, but we never disagree on basic things like values. We’re both stubborn. But we respect each other enough to know that both our ideas are good. Sometimes I’ll give in; sometimes he’ll give in. It’s a compromise all the time. But Dodot spoils me, he’s very malambing, more than I am, and he’s very meticulous. Sometimes, he’d say, ‘O let’s go somewhere on a date.’ And I’ll say, ‘Ayoko. I have nothing to wear.’ Mapagbigay siya."
Just as she draws strength from her family life, Mikee also draws on the sport that taught her discipline. "The sport has given me a lot of things that I apply to my marriage. It taught me perseverance, patience. You know the feeling of dedication to something? Marriage is like that. Obviously, marriage is more important than your sport. As a person, you know how much you’re able to give and you look at yourself and you see how much more you’re willing to give. When you’re married and you love each other and you have a great family, it’s not hard to be a good wife and mother."
Her eldest son Robbie is showing some interest in riding. No surprise there, since four months after he was born, Mikee started riding again and only stopped when she got pregnant with Rafael. Six weeks after she had her second son, she started riding again.
Mikee says marriage has also brought her closer to mom Tingting, "though I’ve always been close to her." It’s always been about women in the Cojuangco household, what with a strong mother and four sisters — Pin, Lia, Maimai and China. You almost feel sorry for the man of the house. Six women and one man! Who said life is fair?
So what’s next for Mikee? Acting is on hold (she admits she doesn’t really miss it), she might pick up writing again (she used to write an advice column for the STAR with Tingting and Maimai, and later a column with Dodot), she’s not sure if she’ll compete again (the Olympics? "It’s a totally different level. What I have to do to get there is 10 times as hard as the Asian Games. There’s no question what my priorities are").
What takes up most of her time outside of home now is teaching equestrian. Last year, she helped with her friend Vic Barba’s students when he went away to compete. Now Mikee has six students of her own, from their teens to their thirties and teaches three times a week, instilling in them discipline and consistency. "It’s a thrill to teach. When I look at people who are serious in what they do and are dedicated, even if I’m not the best rider in the world, it feels good to be able to share my experiences and give them tips and they say, ‘Ay, oo nga ano.’ I guess what makes a good teacher is the way you communicate and knowing what they can understand and not understand, what they’re ready for and not."
Who knows, in the future, she might have a 10-year-old student, too, who’s interested in riding not because she likes to compete but just because she loves to be around horses. And Mikee will teach her how to whisper to her horse and tell him when he’s doing well and when he’s not. Maybe she’ll have a horse not unlike Rustic Rouge. Never an underdog, simply because of a huge heart.