Recipe For Success Girl Scout Cookie Sale Season Gets Off To A Rousing Start At Sfcc, Sparked By ‘Team Up And Win’ Pep Rally

The Girl Scouts rally to kick off cookie season had the girls, the green and brown vests and plenty of noise.

The only thing missing was the cookies. “They get passed out at the end,” said program director Lisa Engh.

No matter. The girls were energized without them.

More than 600 area Girl Scouts poured into Spokane Falls Community College’s gyms Saturday to play Twister, jump rope and get a sneak taste of their wares.

New on the cookie menu this year: striped chocolate chip and sugar-free lemon.

The “Team Up and Win” rally gets the girls fired up about cookie sales, but it also teaches the importance of teamwork and goal-setting, said Engh.

Female athletes from Eastern Washington University and Spokane Falls played basketball and volleyball with the girls.

“It’s great for the kids to get a little variety in their life,” said EWU volleyball player Kim Exner, setting a ball for a Scout half her height. “They might not learn a lot in 15 minutes, but they sure have fun.”

By 3 p.m., the main gym was clogged with girls and troop leaders.

One efficient blonde leader gathered her girls in a huddle.

“OK, we’re gonna run a lap, get a free water bottle, and then go to volleyball, basketball and kickboxing,” she said.

Break!

Even a few dads tagged along.

“We’re just following them around,” said a slightly dazed Charlie Arch, proud parent of a Troop 341 member. He hovered in the bleachers with fellow father Andy Leslie.

“I’m just waiting for them to bring the cookies out,” Arch said with a laugh.

Michelle Prufer herded her Regal Elementary troop through the crowds. Her daughter, Kimberly Reetz, 8, was making her third appearance at the annual rally.

Forget the cookies. Kimberly was headed for the Twister mat.

“We kind of cheated,” Mom admitted. “The girls already tasted the cookies last week.”

By day’s end, each troop had set their group and individual goals for the cookie sale. But one Scout was ahead of the game.

Jennifer Maine, a fifth-grader at Progress Elementary, already had 37 sales under her belt.

Her secret?

“I got up early and started sellin’,” she said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo