Keith,
You make it sound like every new shooter has to go through you to enter the game.
In our league which averages just about 100 shooters weekly for 36 weeks here in the PA Southern NY area we have a practics class which makes no awards and has a $6.00 entry fee. In this class people can shoot the course and have no special stakes or special equipment that they must follow. The hunter class is the biggest class and it is about 40% of the total shooters. The new people coming into our league are usually accompanied by a shooter from one of the clubs in the league. I know of no shooter coming to our league that was ever scared away by the scores or the equipment that other people shoot. If they see a person with all of the extra equipment on their bow, it will usually make them ask questions. New people are encouraged to come back and use the practice bags when available, to join our winter league or to just come back and watch the activities. You will never get all the people to join the 3D shooting at any level but you may get them to join your club or even the INTERNATIONAL BOWHUNTING ORGANIZATION to be represneted on bowhunting issues.
My question is still the same Why not promote archery at the club level and make sure that they understand all the benefits of belonging to the club and IBO? Offer a entry level for interested 3D archers. Reduce the price and let them try shooting and club activities to find out if they want to continue as a club member and a competitive shooter.
Archers coming into 3D at the IBO national level shoots are only discouraged if they are not aware of what to expect and they are a very small number if any.
Turnover in 3D shooting is caused more by pricing than other people and their equipment.
How long has the person that won the Hunter class this year at the world been competeing at any level.