Over the weekend, cowboys and cowgirls from across the Northwest headed to the Sapphire Event Center for the 8th annual Sort Pink competition. This is a fundraiser for Tough Enough to Wear Pink of Montana, an organization that is dedicated to providing funding for breast cancer awareness, screening and support for Montana women and men. Over the last eight years, the Sort Pink event has raised more than $203,000. This is a combination of the team sorting, live and silent auctions, and a Calcutta and celebrity team sorting.
Sort Pink is a team sorting competition involving 10 head of cattle, two pens, two cowboys and/or cowgirls, and one minute. The event is fast-paced with lots of hootin’ and hollarin’ going on. The riders are handicapped according to their ability and experience in sorting. The higher the number, the better the rider is. Most of the classes are a combination of different level riders. For example, a ‘7’ class can be made of a rider that is a No. 4 and one that is a No. 2, or any combination as long as the riders’ numbers do not exceed the number of the class. This system allows the more inexperienced riders to gain confidence and knowledge and have a chance at winning since they are not up against the ‘toughs’.
The pens are set up in a figure 8 with an opening between the two pens. The riders begin in the pen without cattle in it. There are 10 head of cattle in the second pen. They are numbered from 0-9 with large numbers on each side of the cow. As the cowboys enter the second pen, the announcer calls out a number from 0-9 that is randomly drawn. The riders must separate that numbered cow and put it in the other pen. They then move on to the next numbered cow. For example, the number drawn is ‘2’, they then sequentially move on through the cattle – 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 0, 1 – until they either get all the cattle in the other pen or time runs out. Score is determined by the number of cattle successfully moved and the time. If an out of order cow gets through the opening, the team is disqualified. Typically each team gets two ‘go arounds’ and then the top teams come back for the finals. The team with the most cattle in the least amount of time is the winners.
Aaron Clark is a local team penner and sorter who spends most Saturdays in the winter at the Sapphire where the Bitterroot Team Penners & Sorters Association puts on an event. He says these winter Saturdays allow riders to gain experience and learn how to read the cattle. He was raised on a ranch, grew up working cattle and has been competing for about 20 years. His knowledge is more of an instinct gained from his experiences. Couple that with a good horse, his is 24 years old, and it’s a winning combination. “You don’t work cattle as slow here as you would on a ranch. This is a timed event so you do have to work the cattle a little bit faster,” he said. “A knowledge of cattle helps, you have to be able to read cattle in order to go faster. I won money today, it’s always more fun when you win money.”
At the Sort Pink over the weekend, organizer Sandy Meyers thought there were about 550 teams participating. Many riders rode several different teams throughout the event. Ages ranged from eight or nine years old to over 70 years old. There were a few breast cancer survivors riding too.
Dr. John Harlan, a retired plastic surgeon out of Missoula, came to Meyers eight years ago with the idea of the sorting. The first event was held at the Diamond A arena just a couple miles north on Eastside Highway. It was such a success the committee decided to keep the event in the Bitterroot. Each year has gotten better and better said Harlan. This year the event had 13 teams in the celebrity sorting. Sponsors paid $350 for each ‘celebrity’ to compete and then the audience bid on the teams in the Calcutta. Elarian Nichols and Julie Abney won the celebrity sort.