AUTHORS: Matt Harlow, DJ Case & Associates; Holly Mauslein, DJ Case & Associates; Megan Wisecup, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Keith Warnke, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
ABSTRACT: Youth shooting sports programs are among the fastest growing youth sports programs in the country, but little is known about participation of underrepresented groups. By understanding the barriers these populations face, coaches and other practitioners can develop strategies to increase their participation and representation in the shooting sports. The goal of this project was to understand how to increase and improve efforts to recruit more diverse participants into youth shooting sports such as archery and trap shooting. The DJ Case team conducted 19 focus groups with shooting sports coaches and participants as well as with students who do not participate in shooting sports. Findings include insights into: •Why students do/don’t participate in high school sports, in general •Why students do/don’t participate in high school archery teams •Why students do/don’t participate in high school shooting sports teams These findings, combined with the findings of past studies, were used to develop recommendations for how high school shooting sports teams could best attract more diverse participants. These recommendations include the use of: •Diversified imagery and representation to showcase different genders, ethnicities, and physical abilities •Strategic messaging and imagery to address perceived barriers •Specialized new shooter events to bridge first-time to competition-style learning This project was the first phase of a two-phase project, with Phase One (2023) focusing on data collection, research, and analysis. Phase Two (2024) will use the results from Phase One to develop specific marketing and communication tools and strategies and make them available to shooting sports team coaches. This presentation summarizes the findings of the Phase One focus groups conducted by DJ Case & Associates to help inform the development of recruitment tools and efforts. We will also present an initial sample of the communications and marketing tools currently being developed in Phase Two of this ongoing project.
