Soldier Hollow Classic

Scotsman Tom Wilson is, like all good sheepherders, a patient man. On this competition day at the Soldier Hollow sheepherding classic near Midway, he stands in front of grandstands filled, literally, with thousands of spectators who’ve come to watch him herd sheep with his border collie, Dot.

Dot is following both verbal and whistle commands and herding 20 sheep through an obstacle course: a series of gates on the same ground Olympic cross-country skiers maneuvered during the 2002 Olympics.

Dot is doing her job magnificently. This is not her most difficult assignment. She’s also herded sheep into a New York City high-rise elevator and into New York taxicabs in multiple appearances with Tom on the “David Letterman Show.”

Tom and Dot are regular competitors in what in three short years has become one of North America’s premier sheep dog competitions, the Soldier Hollow Classic, held over Labor Day weekend at the Wasatch Mountain State Park. Once through the obstacle course, the man-dog team faces the most difficult challenge. With Tom carrying a shepherd’s crook and whistle, Dot targets five of 20 sheep in her flock that have orange bandanas tied around their necks. She has 26 minutes to cut each targeted sheep from the flock and keep it separated while she goes back for another. She crouches, moves stealthily in the high grass, and cuts another, and another. If she or Tom touches a sheep, it’s an automatic disqualification.

“It’s stressful for the person,” Tom explains later. “We get all keyed up and get the adrenaline going. We like a dog that’s relaxed and just goes out and takes his work as he gets it.”

Back in front of the grandstands, some imperceptible herd instinct changes the dog-in-charge dynamic. The separated bandana-bedecked sheep charges back into the main flock. The clock is ticking for the timed event, and although Dot and Tom get the separation process started again, time runs out and this top competitive team is out of the money.

Such is the drama and poetry of a sheep dog competition. Watching sheep get herded around may sound like an odd way to spend a late summer day, but over the four-day event at Soldier Hollow, some 20,000 spectators show, pull out their lawn chairs and watch the action.

“I enjoy watching the dogs work,” Jack Thompson of Provo says as he puts down his binoculars. “When they’re separating the sheep, it’s just fun to watch them work. My dad had sheep when I was a kid and I think it’s great. We’ve got a border collie ourselves and she tries to herd our boxer. They’ve really got an instinct to herd.”

This year’s classic runs September 2-5, 2005 (consult www.soldierhollowclassic.com). In addition to the day’s sheepherding, fiber artists show everything from sweaters to soap made from fiber-producing animals, and the Utah Wool Growers serve up lamb burgers.

Utahns of Scottish descent set up their Highland Games, and toss poles and heavy weights as strolling bagpipers serenade. Those with strong enough stomachs can even find the rarely (in Utah at least) prepared traditional Scottish haggis for lunch.

With North America’s largest purse ($20,000), the Soldier Hollow Classic Labor Day weekend will attract Scots like Wilson, along with competitors from New Zealand to South Africa. When someone asks how you spent the last weekend of summer, you can honestly report that you dined on haggis while watching dogs herd sheep, and loved every minute of it!