Watching the Shoot Like a Girl problem evolve over the last 10 years has been encouraging as the program continues to put bows in the hands of first-time-shooting ladies across the country. We recently had the chance to catch up with the Shoot Like a Girl crew to hear the latest developments in their program and what they are now offering ladies for the 2020 year.
Check out what’s new from Shoot Like a Girl in the video below…
How It Started
Shoot Like A Girl was established in 2008, and launched in 2009 by Karen Butler with a mission to grow the number of women who participate in shooting sports by empowering them with confidence. Karen started shooting a bow in 2000, after camping with some friends where she shot her first bow and rifle. She was instantly hooked on the thrill, power and control of shooting. In 2006 she won the Colorado State Championship in the Women’s Bowhunter Freestyle division.
Karen launched the Shoot Like a Girl program at the World Archery Festival in Las Vegas, NV and has achieved tremendous success since then. The program was initially started with a focus on archery. In fact, the first five years the program was exclusively dedicated to archery. The concept was if women could try to shoot a bow, they would love the feeling they get from shooting and join the sport. Karen and the crew developed a process called Test Shots, and in five years Shoot Like A Girl put bows in the the hands of nearly 3,500 women and grew the number of women archers.
In December of 2013, Shoot Like a Girl added Firearms Test Shots to the mix. It’s a program where women can shoot a 9mm pistol and .223 rifle with the use of a military grade firearms simulation system. They also continued their Test Flights program with a live archery range. The trailer highlights the fact that shooting sports is a viable option for people with physical challenges and/or regardless of physical fitness level.
Introducing women to the shooting sports is the focus of Shoot Like a Girl.
What’s the Impact?
Since 2008, their impact on the shooting sports industry has totaled over 74 million dollars and continues to increase. There’s also been well over 18,000 women that have participated in the program. Nearly half of these women participating in the program had never shot a bow prior to their experience with Shoot Like a Girl. The program has been a natural lead into the sport of hunting of all types for women across the country. It’s been a great tool to empower women with the confidence to step outside to shoot and hunt.
See more on the Shoot Like a Girl program at www.shootlikeagirl.com.
