Approximately 80% of adults and 50% of the children in this country do not exercise with the intensity and frequency recommended for cardiovascular fitness (Stephens, Jacobs, & White, 1985). Problems of low activity are more of a concern with girls than boys (Sallis, Zakarian, Hovell, & Hofstetter, 1996), and more with black than white girls (Anderson, Crespo, Bartlett, Cheskin & Pratt, 1988; Gordon-Larsen, McMurray & Popkin, 1999). Concern exists for the health of adolescents now and for the implications, as these adolescents become adults. The purpose of this paper was to examine perceptions of sport participation and physical activity patterns of high school girls. This study was couched in a socialization theoretical framework and within this broader frame, the Kenyon and McPherson (1973) Model of Sport Involvement was adapted to examine probable reasons for choosing to be physically active. Based on this model, a questionnaire of 116 items was validated, piloted and revised prior to administration. Questions involved 24 activities identified as either Olympic sports, NASPE and/or state curricular recommendations. A total of 537 girls from 28 different schools of different sizes and geographical locations around one state responded to questionnaires, representing a 70.2% response rate. Respondents were 36.9% Black, 51.9% White, and 11.2% other (other races and some students chose not to indicate a racial affiliation). Field hockey, golf and wrestling were perceived as appropriate for boys only by more than 50% of the participants; aerobics was perceived as appropriate for girls only by more than 60%; no activity was viewed by more than 5% as appropriate for black girls only, while line, folk and square dancing were perceived respectively by more than 20% as appropriate for white girls only. More than 40% of the girls had never participated in aerobic dance, archery, field hockey, folk or square dance, golf, orienteering, ropes courses, team handball or wrestling. More than 50% of the girls do not presently engage in 8 of the 24 activities and basketball was the only activity in which more than 40% of the girls participate in more than one place (e.g., school, with friends and family, church, etc.). Findings reflect naïve perceptions of the appropriateness of activities and limited experiential backgrounds with many physical activities. If girls are to have a chance to become active for a lifetime, more effort is needed to teach about and provide experience with the wide array of physical activity possibilities.