NOTEBOOK

* Cherry Creek senior Loren Brandon has had her fair share of swimming titles, and she hopes she can earn more in her final season. She knows, though, that Class 5A is loaded with talent, with a huge chunk of her competition on her own team.

And in her own house.

Brandon, who won the 500 freestyle, placed second in the 200 freestyle, and helped her team win the 400 freestyle relay and a fourth consecutive team championship, will watch as her talented younger sister, Bonnie, splashes into the Colorado high school swimming scene. Bonnie competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, where she finished 14th in the 200 backstroke.

"She's excited to swim this season, and I'm so excited to have her coming in this season," Loren said of Bonnie, who is 14 and stands 6-foot-2. "A lot of people have asked me how it feels to have my sister be faster than me, and in some races, she is faster. But there are some other races where we are pretty even. So it will be interesting to see which events she decides to swim this season."

Loren, who will swim for the University of Minnesota next season, said that while she and her sister share the same work ethic and have grown closer through their training, she admits that sharing her strategy secrets sometimes has backfired.

"I once told her before a race that she needs to swim until she feels like she is going to throw up," Brandon said. "She swam so hard that race, and she swam faster than me.

"But I'm so proud of her and everything that she's done already. But I can't complain with how I've done."

* With the reigning champ bringing in a talented crew of freshmen while losing only one swimmer and two divers to graduation, Cherry Creek coach Eric Craven said the outlook is bright.

"I would say that everyone looks good, and we can have another great year," said Craven, who has about 150 swimmers on the squad this year. "Our goal is to have four qualifiers in every event, and I think that's something we can do."

* With Rock Canyon being the early favorite to take the Class 4A championship, coach Ruthie Milberg says she has had to overcome a lot of challenges in her five years of coaching - from being a new school to not having an on-site pool for practice.

Her newest challenge is the depth of talent on this team, but she has no complaints.

"I have the biggest team I've ever had -- we had more than 50 swimmers this year, and a lot of talent." In addition to Milberg's daughter, Kirsten, Rock Canyon boasts a load of talent that includes senior Taylor Curado, the All-Colorado swimmer of the year last season, who will be going for her third straight 100 butterfly championship.

* All-Colorado swimmer Katie Johnson has decided not to compete for Ralston Valley this year as the Mustangs jump up to 5A. Johnson, who won the 200 individual medley and placed second in the 500 freestyle in 4A last season, has committed to swim for the University of Minnesota next season.