The sailing teams continues operations from the fall, but big shots on the Charles travel in shells, powered by oars. If you have physical endurance and any sort of aptitude for the sport, you should be able to make one of the twelve lightweight or heavyweight, freshmen or upperclass men's boats. Similar opportunities prevail at Weld Boathouse, where the Radcliffe light and heavyweights ship out (yes, "Radcliffe"--the oarswomen remain the only women's athletic squad that shuns the title "Harvard women's").

If you make one of the men's or women's boats, don't be surprised to find yourself winning an Eastern Springs, or racing at the Henley Regatta over summer vacation. Harvard is the class of college crew.

BASKETBALL

Walk-ons occasionally make it in Ivy League basketball, but don't count on it at Harvard with bigtime Digger Phelps-disciple Francis X. "Frank" McLaughlin moving into his second year. Harvard upset Penn at the dungeon-like IAB last year, signaling the shape of things to come. By the time the class of '82 has graduated--assuming McLaughlin stays--former doormat Harvard will have joined Penn and Princeton as Ivy powers, and maybe as a national power.

This is the first year for freshman eligibility in the Ivies, so if you're on of the half dozen or so "trees" that McLaughlin recruited last winter, expected to get plenty of playing time on the Crimson's graduation-depleted front line.

Superstars

O.K., I'll admit it, Harvard pales by comparison to big-time sports schools across the nation, and I'll hang up my typewriter the day that the likes of Goose Givens come to the IAB to play hoops.

Still, if you want to be a big stud, major laurels can be reaped here. A sampling of the top upperclass varsity athletes follow.

Number one honcho--subject to some debate--is one Robert Hackett, an All-American swimmer who as a freshman last year launched a one-man crusade against the Harvard record book. One more thing: before coming to Harvard, Bobby won a silver medal at the Montreal Olympics. He's not a bad bet to take a gold or two at Moscow, either.

After two years playing baseball here, All-American Mike Stenhouse already owns school records for career HRs (18), single-season HRs (10), single-season RBIs (40) and single-season batting average (.475). Sten also suits up on the varsity basketball squad, and he won the Dartmouth game last winter with a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer.

Third-team All-American right hander Larry Brown finished second in the nation in ERA last spring (0.95), and if that fails to impress you, check him out QB'ing at Harvard Stadium September 23.

If you're from Kansas City, or for that metter, anyplace but an East Coast private school, odds are you've never even heard of squash. Canadian junior Mike Desaulniers has definitely heard of squash--in fact, he's the number one amateur in North America--and how many pro squash players do you know?

Junior hockey defenseman Jack Hughes is an amateur, too, but in 24 months or so, he should be working his tail off at training camp for some NHL team. Jack's an ECAC and Ivy League All-Star selection, and to make matters worse for Crimson foes, big brother George (a senior) has led the icemen in scoring the last three campaigns and figures to move up from his current standing in eighth place on the all-time Harvard scoring list.

Peter Predun may be the most underrated lacrosse player in the country. As a sophomore last year, the midfielder placed only as high as the third team when All-American honors came out. This spring, there's no way they can keep the smooth wheeler-dealer off the first team.

No one really knows the exact reason why senior Craig Beling's nickname is "Subway." Something to do with Newton's first law (Force equals mass times acceleration), I suppose. Subway led the football team in tackles while playing linebacker last year, and he earned All-Ivy honorable mention honors as a heavyweight wrestler.