This memoir, written by a Junior Varsity oarsman from the class of 1963, relates how a squad of unathletic kids at a non jock school carrying the normal heavy academic work load that all MIT students carry somehow managed to live up to a legendary sprint and in their senior year became the "lightweight crew to beat." In the telling of the story we catch a glimpse of what life at MIT is like as well as see how competitive intercollegiate athletics can be integrated with serious academic studies.