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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Katherine Lorck is 3 1/2 years old. At 2 1/2 she was already learning how to play catch with her dad, Chris Lorck.

"She seems pretty coordinated for her age, but maybe we're just proud parents," laughed Chris Lorck.

While there always have and always will be proud parents now there is a way to see whether your child really will be a great athlete and in which sports.

Atlas Sports Genetics is a Colorado-based company that uses DNA samples to determine which sports an individual is genetically inclined for.

The test examines DNA in tissue taken from a swab of the mouth. The test fee is $169. The sample is sent to an Australian-based company for lab work.

"There is really just one specific marker that we look at this point in time, what's called the ACTN3 gene, and that's responsible for one particular protein in the body that has been related to performance for speed power events," explained Atlas Sports Genetics president Kevin Reilly.

Everyone has the ACTN3 gene -- one pair from mom and one pair from dad -- but which gene combination a person gets is what supposedly determines one's athletic ability.

For example, those who have two copies of the R-variant are found to be the most capable of forceful, quick muscle contractions necessary in speed and power sports like football or sprinting.

Those who have two copies of the X-variant are typically best at endurance sports. The third and last possible gene variation is an XR, or mixed athlete.

Although knowing which variant one has can help pre-select which sports one will excel at over others, Reilly suggests that's not the best use for this test.

He said many of his clients do seek the genetic performance tests to see whether their child has what it takes to go to the next level, or use it to determine whether they should keep spending money on youth athletics in pursuit of things like a college scholarship. However, Reilly believes the best use for this test is for training purposes.

"As a coach myself one of the things that tends to happen in team sports is we tend to treat athletes all the same," explained Reilly. "We have them train in a team environment, so they go through the same type of exercises, but this info regarding genetics may be helpful as we go into the future saying, 'Well, this athlete is going to respond better to this type of training routine compared to this athlete.'"

Reilly also believes as the industry of genetic sports performance develops it has great potential to help prevent injuries. "We know that certain athletes tend to be prone to certain types of injuries and I think the more info we have about that we can do some good preventative action in the future regarding that."

Many argue genetics are a critical factor in athletic performance and achievement, but are they everything?

"We've seen athletes with lots of potential who didn't have their head in the right place and they didn't make it. We've also seen athletes with not as much physical potential but tons of heart and they've made it," explained Para-Olympic Gold Medalist Pam Fernandes.

Spanish Olympic long jumper Jesus Olivan is another example that questions the accuracy of genetic predictions. At 16 years old, Olivan gave a better performance than former Olympic champion Carl Lewis at the same age. Interestingly Olvian has no copies of the R-variant, which would be expected to be responsible for success in a fast explosive sport like long jumping.