Let's say you can look at a group of kids on any given team and compare one child to the other (no not publicly), with both kids having been in competitive gymnastics, or better still on the same team for the same period of time. More often than not, you'll see one with better skills, execution, and scores than the other. Now do the same thing with every child with the same experience level. If you see kids with the same number of years, they should be at the same level, except for those with frequent or a singular major injury.
If all things are equal (excluding minor age differences) you can guess that the child at the top has at least equal ability as the others, and the kid at the bottom has no more than the rest of the group. If one child distinguishes themselves by doing well on skills the others haven't started, or is more polished and able to compete one level up, you can assume that natural ability has something to do with her good fortune.
As far as reaching your potential with a coach, it's an either/or situation. A coach with good gymnastics intuition, who has the time and equipment resources, and a desire to provide what each kid needs, can keep up with a natural talent....up the point where the skills are going beyond what a "typical" level 10 would be working. Or....The kid learns faster than the coach is able.....or the kid has a goal that goes beyond the gym's "mission statement", such as the elite program with a dash of national team ambitions.
Kids who's natural abilities exceed the coach's, that possess an uncommon work ethic, will be leaps and bounds ahead of their teammates. When this happens you have to cater to the kid's goals and work ethic by finding a training situation that has a realistic chance of helping them get to where they want to be.
As an example.......I had a kid who's mother sent her to my gym for a 2 week evaluation in the hope that I could advise her on a course of action......stay at the current gym, or switch to a gym that could help her throughout the rest of her career. This kid wanted to train to become an elite, and had even dreamed aloud to her mother about being on the national team. This amounts to a "goal jump" of three levels, as her abilities at the time would have her competing and setting goals as a level 7, well almost level 7 because it was off season and kids usually progress a bit....
So you can't just take a look at a kid and use their current skills to choose a training situation for them, because if they have natural ability in any measure, work their tails off to the point the coach is leaning towards stopping them before they spontaneously combust, and have lots of desire.......they will quickly catch up and excell in any program.
I remember telling this girls mother that in two weeks with her dd I was able to get an overwhelming sense of her desire, work ethic, and a noticed a fair amount of "natural ability". I shared with them my view into her future......a very likely elite gymnast, an almost certain college scholarship, and a shred of a chance to brush up against the national team. I pretty much "nailed it" on two of my visions, but was off course about the national team......well two out of three isn't bad.
My advice for her was to switch to another gym with a proven track record of training elites, and the sooner the better. I offered and was hoping to have her train in my program, but she ended up doing exactly what I've already said, and switch to the one of those gymnastic nivana programs (RATS!!!!) where she quickly adjusted to the program and did really well, great actually.
As for me......I can only look back fondly on the entire episode, and wonder how I could be so far off on the guess about a possibility of her "brushing up against" the national team program. I missed it, but have no regrets when I consider thet I was wrong in the right direction, and she boldly made the national team rather than just brushing up against it.....and not just kinda-sorta.
Moral of the story......Aim high, and let your kids do more than dream.
