"The estimated ability of any team," a sage observer once declared, "is in direct proportion to the number of months before the team's season begins."

In other words, next year's Harvard winter sports squad will never look better than they do now; the sensational sophomores have not yet gone on probation or broken their arms. The freshmen still display their gaudy scoring averages from Yardling teams instead of the lumps of inexperienced sophomores in varsity play.

At the moment, the evidence seems to bear out the formula; if one ignores the wreckage of the hockey team, which loses five of its top six forwards, one of its three defensemen, and both goalies, next year's winter season could be one of the brightest ever.

An indoor track team that won this year's Heps championship on a day when almost everyone went sour may be even stronger next year. Back once again are high jumper Chris Pardee, hurdler Tony Lynch. Art Croasdale in the weights, Kieth Chiappa, who could be the Ivies' premier middle-distance man. Walt Hewlett and John Ogden in the distance runs, and Aggrey Awori in just about everything. The addition of a freshman quartet that snapped the University mile-relay record, and Yardling miler Jim Smith could make the team one of the solidest ever.

If it will be interesting to watch track coach Bill McCurdy shuffle his talent, it will be positively fascinating to watch Bill Brooks make strategy for the swimming team. He has a solid nucleus in Dan Mahoney, who may be the East's best diver, breaststroker Bruce Fowler, and medleyman Henry Frey, plus distance freestyler Dave Abramson. But Brooks inherits freestylers almost as good as Abramson in Dave's best events, the 500 and 200-yard swims. Neville Hayes swims the 500 almost as well as Abramson and Jim Seubold is better in the 200. Will Brooks make one of his freestylers into a sprinter? Or hold one out for the relays? Tune in next year.

Almost as unusual as a bad Harvard hockey team is a good Harvard basketball team, but that seems to be in the cards for next year too. Back from the best squad in years will be 6-5 All-Ivy center Merle McClung, 6-4 forward Barry Williams, one of the best rebounders in the league, and all four of the top guards. To add to the Crimson's backcourt depth, freshman captain Gene Dressler averaged over 20 points this year.

And the others look good too. The squash team has the depth to make up for its graduation losses, the wrestlers lose just one man, the fencers should be strong too. Ah, wait till next year.