Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times Kayla Tehrani is a teenager at the end of the day, and sometimes those characteristics stand out. Other times, notably during swim meets, the Aspen High School junior is a driven, ferocious competitor, a key trait that has turned her into one of the state’s top swimmers. “I’d like to see her consistently work as hard in practice as she does in competition,” AHS girls swim coach Katherine Keel said. “Kayla is one of the most motivated swimmers I’ve ever coached. She’ll complain about warming down or longer distance sets in practice, but it’s more of a shtick, as it’s obvious there is a fire burning inside her to be the best. Any challenge or doubt motivates her even more, and she lights it up when it matters most.”