Beginning at Weld Boat House, the women row about four miles up and down the Charles. At this relatively early point in the year, Huntsman says he is "stressing form and technique rather than speed or power." He has the women row at half- or three-quarter speed for much of the workout

Huntsman spends the entire hour standing in the launch, pointing out any mistakes the women are making. He instructs them on how to correct their strokes, and says he encourages the boat to "stick together."

The women, Huntsman says, become totally engrossed in their work as Huntsman reminds them to "control the stroke, watch the blade height, develop a sense of where your power comes from."

He also throws in an occasional humorous remark to break up the tedium of the practice. Freshman June Kinoshita recalls Huntsman's story of the "notorious flashers who hide behind the bridges and await the arrival of the Radcliffe crew."

After this hour of exertion, the women leave the boat ready for the "hard part" of the practice. Post-rows are the "killers" which "really make you ache," according to one rower.

The team members work on a scheduled program of independent post-row exercises, designed to build up their endurance and strength. The exercises consist of calisthenics, weight training, running a four-mile course, or yet another form of torture.

The last post-row, at Harvard stadium, is the team's nemesis. The exercise there involves running up and down the stadium's steps. "It's hard to do because we have short legs," Georas says. "The steps in the stadium were made for the big Harvard jocks, not for human beings."

Yet most of the women agree that the "torture" has produced results. Many have found a definite improvement in their endurance and in the muscular development of their legs and biceps. Others are pleased to find they can eat more food and not gain much weight.

These benefits are augmented by what one woman describes as "the chance to meet and work with many new people. In crew, I meet a lot of people who I would probably otherwise never meet in my years at Harvard," Shaw says. "It's great to see people during the day who you can talk with about a common interest."

Freshman Julie Cobb describes crew as involving a "strange sort of team interaction."

"In the boat you are really concentrating on your own actions, but you have a strange sense of togetherness with the rest of the team," she adds.

Shaw also mentions another benefit of crew: "Many of the women on the team never had the chance to get extensively involved in a sport throughout high school. Crew is a chance for many of us to experience the jock life that is associated with sports."

So even as the autumn leaves turn to winter snow, and the waters of the river grow icy, the women of Radcliffe's novice crew team continue climbing steps and navigating the Charles.

When the dead of winter hits, they will move inside Weld to work in the tanks; but spring will bring them out of their hibernations and into competition.

And as Radcliffe's varsity crew tunes up for the competitive season, Huntsman says he will continue urging the women on. "I want to see eight bodies, minds and hearts all working together and thinking together," he says.