Elite,Select etc etc

After years in the arena of this close knit community watching,listening and reading numerous posts on web sites. The thing that puzzles me the most is what the labels mean for these teams. 

 What makes these young lady athletes Elite or Select or Gold? Is it because they enter tournaments beyond their age groups or abilities? Is it because they have kept a core group together for years since 10u maybe 8u in some states?

I would love to get a discussion going about what you all think. Is your daughter playing (under 18u) on such a team? If so why do you think they deserve the Elite,Select or Gold label. If you are a coach of one of these types of teams what is the motivation/explanation of this?

Looking forward to hearing your comments!