Black & White lightweight Coach K.C. Dietz says her program works the same way. "We recruit a few people--about three of four--who request information about rowing. Then we recruit on-campus, at registration, This year, we got four eights to come out as a result of our efforts [at Memorial Hall]."

Harry Parker and his staff also engage in on-campus recruiting, by posting leaflets throughout the Yard during freshman week encouraging both veteran and novice rowers to come to the opening crew meeting.

At the meeting, Parker and Freshman Coach Ted Washburn give what those who attended termed "a very well done, convincing speech," inviting athletes to give rowing a shot.

Heavy Letter

And, most important, both the men's and women's heavyweight programs send out a letter each summer.

The letter, quoted earlier, is aimed primarily at athletes who have no background in crew. Incoming freshman who based on Department of Athleics records are the "right" height and weight to row or express an interest in crew receive it.

As usual, the letter brought a substantial response this year. Nearly 90 inexperienced rowers came out for the men's heavyweight program, and 100 gave the light-weight program a look. Coach Stone reports that 48 women (including upperclassmen who have not rowed) signed up for the women's novice boats.

Making an effort to seek out novice talent has been very profitable for Harvard. "Last year was the first since I've been here in which we didn't have a former novice oarsman on the varsity," Parker says. "As a rule, there are always several members of the first freshmen, varsity and JV crews who have never rowed before college.

"We've been pleased with the interest in our program the letter has generated--by the people and the quality of novice rowers we've seen."

Coach Stone must be equally pleased. Of the eight sweeps in her first heavyweight boat, six began their Radcliffe careers as novices.

"Rowing is really a sport you can start in college," she says. "The girls find that hard work pays off. You don't have to be a natural athlete to be good at crew.

"Of course, high school experience helps, But it's within anyone's reach to make the first novice boat one year and be on the varsity the next. As long as the athlete is physiologically suited for rowing, she just has to be excited by the sport and willing to do the work."

That's also the main message of the letter sent out to the male athletes. And to make crew even more appealing, the letter assures that "...work out times are held strictly under sixty minutes in the fall and no more than ninety minutes in the spring," and that "No sport at Harvard demands so little daily time."

While many letter recipients shrug those claims off as propoganda, Crimson oarsmen say they're realistic.

Steve Wayne '88, who hadn't rowed before coming to Harvard but made last year's first freshman boat, says, "crew wasn't that hard to start up.