freeboard: the three inches of the shell above the surface of the water. Shells are notoriously easy to swamp with such little protection from rough water or the wakes of passing motorboats.

freshmen: freshmen are not allowed to row varsity crew in men's competition, so they form their own freshmen boats. The 1983 Harvard freshmen won the Ladies Challenge Plate at Henley, the second most prestigious event at that regatta.

Harvard-Yale Race: held in early June each year on the Thames River in Conn., the Harvard-Yale race is four miles long, as opposed to the usual 2000-meter contest and stresses endurance. Harvard's 18-year hold on the event was broken by the Elis in 1981. The Crimson broke a four-year Bulldog victory string with a triumph in the spring.

Head of the Charles: the biggest single-day rowing regatta in the world. 100,000 spectators, 44,000 Bloody Marys, 3200 competitors, 720 shells, 18 races--all right at your doorstep. A must see.

Henley: the most important regatta in the world each year. Held outside of London at Henley-on-Thames, the event pits the best shells in the world against each other. The Harvard heavyweight crew won the Grand Challenge Cup in July, beating Princeton in the final to claim the mythical world university championship.

Pertti Karpinnen: the best single scull in the world, perhaps the best rower ever. Karpinnen has won three straight Olympic gold medals and edged out Harvard's Andy Sudduth at the World Championships this summer. At 6-ft., 6-in., 225-lb., the Finn is the most imposing figure in the world of crew. He will not be racing tomorrow.

lightweight: a shell with a specific weight limit. For men, the boat must average 150 pounds per oarsmen. For women, the average must be 129.5 pounds.

nationals: the race to determine the national intercollegiate rowing champion. The Crimson heavies drew a bid after winning the Eastern Sprints and narrowly defeated Princeton to claim the national crown in Cincinatti last June. Radcliffe lights won the national title by an unprecedented 20 seconds.

Newell: the Harvard boathouse. Located on the southern bank of the Charles, Newell is the newer boathouse and houses the Harvard crews. Newell has tanks, indoor rowing facilities that simulate on-water conditions for traiing in winter months.

novice: freshmen can row women's varsity crew, so those that are inexperienced are grouped together as novices.

pair: a shell with two sweeps.

Harry Parker: god. The most important single figure in American rowing. Parker is in his 24th year as the Harvard heavyweight coach and coached the U.S. scullers for the 1984 Olympics. Parker went to Penn, where he discovered rowing. He will be racing in the master's singles at the Head.

port: a starboard sweep rows with his or her left hand on the end of the oar handle.

power: a series of all-out strokes that a shell uses to try to surge ahead of its opponents. Listen for coxswains calling for power during the Head.

quad: a shell with four scullers and a cox.