Brownilympics started in 1984 when the Olympics were coming to Los Angeles. It is a day of sports and fun for Brownies and second-year Daisy Girl Scouts.
Since 1984, over 20,000 girls have received Gold Medals for their participation in this highly popular event. The Brownilympics theme is “Every Girl Goes Home a Winner“ and the purpose is to enhance each young girl’s self-worth through a day of fun and activities.
The event allows dads and other significant adult males to participate with moms and their daughters. With dads running the events, moms leading the troops, and the rest of the family as spectators, Brownilympics is fun for everyone.
An Event Committee creates and organizes each event several months in advance. The girls design and create matching outfits for their troop and make a banner to carry in the parade at the beginning of the event. There is also a contest for the design of each year's event patch and auditions to sing the National Anthem.
The day itself begins with a parade of troops, followed by Opening Ceremonies and a visit by a Gold Award Girl Scout and a local city official. During the morning activities, girls compete within their own grade level in four Individual Events: Obstacle Course, 50 Yard Dash, Soccer Dribble, and Softball Throw. The afternoon Relay Events have teams from each troop competing and they are divided into three divisions: Younger (1st grade Daisies), Intermediate (2nd grade Brownies), and Older (3rd grade Brownies). The Relay Events include Inner Tube Relay, Sack Relay, 200 Yard Dash Relay, and Hop, Skip, Jump, and Run Relay.
After all the events are completed, just prior to the Closing Ceremonies, there is a special “Participation Medal Ceremony” where every girl not placing in an event receives her well-deserved Brownilympics Medal. It is a medal that each girl proudly keeps to remind her of the fun day she had and to reward her for the way in which she gave it her all.