YOUTH SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAMS ARE SOME OF THE FASTEST GROWING YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY. THESE SPORTS DO NOT REQUIRE YOU TO BE THE FASTEST, BIGGEST, OR STRONGEST, AND ALL YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE EQUALLY, EVEN THOSE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS. HOWEVER, THE PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAMS BY FEMALES AND MINORITIES DOES NOT DIRECTLY REFLECT THE GENERAL POPULATION. FURTHERMORE, PARTICIPATION BY FEMALES OR MINORITIES BETWEEN DIFFERENT SHOOTING SPORTS DISCIPLINES IS NOT THE SAME. FOR EXAMPLE, IN IOWA THE FEMALE PARTICIPATION RATE FOR NASP (NATIONAL ARCHERY IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM) IS 50 , SASP (SCHOLASTIC ACTION SHOOTING PROGRAM) IS 29 , AND SCTP (SCHOLASTIC CLAY TARGET PROGRAM) IS 18 , WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT OTHER MIDWEST STATES ARE SEEING. PHASE 1 OF THIS PROJECT SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND THE SOURCES OF THESE PARTICIPATION DISCREPANCIES THROUGH THE USE OF FOCUS GROUPS OF COACHES, STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAMS, AND STUDENTS WHO CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAMS. UNDERSTANDING THE BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION WITHIN BOTH FEMALE AND MINORITY POPULATIONS WILL ENABLE US TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION.THE SECOND PHASE OF THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE INFORMATION FROM THE INITIAL PHASE TO FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIFIC MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND STRATEGIES, COACH EDUCATION AND TOOLS, AND PARTICIPANT COACH MENTOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES.