I used to think I didn’t mind the winter.

But this winter is quickly changing my mind.

This is my fifth winter in Minnesota. Already I think there’s been more snow than the previous four combined. This isn’t merely a harsh winter — for the past two months I would argue that the state has been downright uninhabitable.

I was tired of it by mid-December, but unfortunately it isn’t going away anytime soon.

Of all things to do during this brutal, inhospitable winter, on Jan. 15 I decided to jump into Lake Okabena.

Consider it an act of defiance.

Yes, jumping in the lake was absolutely bone-chilling, and the 61 people who jumped in as part of the second annual Deep Freeze Dip and all the people who came to watch were subjected to a painful experience.

But for the first time all winter, I actually did… something.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent the winter doing my best impression of a sloth, bundling up under a duvet pretty much every second that I’ve been in my apartment.

But this hasn’t made withstanding the winter any more bearable.

Jumping into the lake didn’t make it any more bearable either, but by actually spending some time outside and engaging in physical activity I overcame my fear of the cold and for the first time, I embraced it.

Herein lies the key to maintaining one’s sanity during the long, punishing winter — every now and then, simply ignore how miserable it’s making you.

Better yet, find a way to make it not feel miserable at all.

This last suggestion is tough. There are a number of winter activities that Minnesotans have engaged in over the years, but there are various obstacles to pursuing most of these.

For one thing, pursuing any sort of outdoors activity means braving the cold.

Luckily, we have adapted as a species to be able to exercise indoors, whether inside a gymnasium, in an indoor heated pool, a gym or a giant, domed stadium…

Well, there are some problems with that last one.

The problem is that you can participate in these activities any time of the year. There comes some mild satisfaction in knowing that huge piles of snow everywhere don’t have to get in the way of your exercise routine, but by being inside, you’re still hiding from winter.

But again, we come to the issue of the cold. And even if you’re able to brave the cold, taking up a winter sport isn’t something that can usually be achieved overnight.

There are winter sports such as ice fishing, snowmobiling or skiing, but all three of these for the most part require a sizable financial investment. Jumping in a frozen lake won’t cost you anything, but I wouldn’t recommend making a habit of it.

The beauty of taking up a outdoors winter sport — although being huddled up in a warm ice house makes ice fishing a borderline member of this club — is that it undeniably gives you the feeling that you are not only standing up to your fear of winter, but conquering it.

I recently entered myself in the City of Lakes Loppet on Feb. 6, a big cross-country ski race in Minneapolis. I don’t even have skis yet, but I’ll be making that investment before the race.

This may just be an act of desperation after being caged up with very little physical activity all winter, or it could be that my Norwegian blood is getting the best of me. Possibly the Deep Freeze Dip has caused a short-circuit in my brain.

I will be posting on this blog after the race to let you know how successful my new-found cross-country ski hobby has turned out for me in solving my fear of winter.

This post isn’t meant to be a lecture, or a way to inspire the masses to follow my lead. But if after reading this you become interested in finding out how you personally can make the best of the rest of the winter ahead — short of jumping into the lake — the more power to you!

Jeff Linder knew the water was going to be cold.

But that wasn’t on his mind.

“You knew it was going to be cold, but I wasn’t thinking about that,” said Linder, who was one 61 jumpers in Saturday’s Deep Freeze Dip. “When I got up there, I had the two small American flags, which were hard to find. I searched the whole town and I finally found them at Runnings and I wanted to make sure I held them up before I jumped to put everything in perspective. It wasn’t about anything other than the veterans.

“When I started, I wanted to make sure everybody knew where my heart was, it was with the veterans.”

Linder, who is the head football and baseball coach at Minnesota West, decided to represent the college in Saturday’s event to raise money for Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight.

“We tend to forget what some people did for us to give us everything that we have and we’re able to do like going to basketball games and birthday parties and having the freedom that we have,” he said. “Just talking it over with my wife, we just decided it would be a good thing to do and the right thing to do.”

Linder raised $1,200 in less than a week.

“My supporters that donated money really came through for me,” Linder said. “I actually picked up the donation sheet on Monday mid-morning and by Thursday by noon, I had $1,200. The funds just kept coming in. The majority of that came from the faculty and staff at the college, which is incredible. These people are an incredible group of people to work with and they are great supporters of community functions. I guess I’m proud of all of them and proud to be associated with Minnesota West just for that fact. They really jump on board with community things like that.

“I was astounded at the amount of money that was raised in such a short amount of time. It was just outstanding with what they did.”

In all, the Deep Freeze Dip raised more than $40,000.

“They said it takes $800 to send a veteran,” Linder said. “My goal was at least to get over that and do what we can to get two. We’re awful close.”

On Saturday, Linder donned a full football uniform — helmet and all.

“I hadn’t put that stuff on in a while,” the coach said. “I didn’t have shoulder pads on and I didn’t have pads in my pants. But I represent a great organization in Minnesota West and I am obviously the head football coach. It’s something that I love to do and I love the sport. I wanted that to be a part of Minnesota West and the Minnesota West football program supporting the veterans.”

He crouched in a three-point stance and jumped in.

“It really wasn’t bad until I came up,” Linder said. “When I came up, the helmet must have caught water and soon as I came up to grab air, water came up into my helmet. I was trying to shake it out. I felt really good after I got the wet clothes off and finally got to get inside and get them off. But I felt really good later that day. It kind of rejuvenates you a little bit, even though you have some warming up to do.”

For Linder, hearing stories from a veteran at the college’s Veteran’s Day celebration helped provide extra motivation.

“He was talking about going out there and stories and telling us what it was like during World War II,” Linder said. “He was telling us about the memorial and I started tearing up. I’ll be honest, those people, they are starting to age and those stories aren’t going to be around long. To have them go out and see something like the World War II memorial built for them, it has to be incredible for them. It’s the least I can do for the job they’ve done for all of us.”

While the dip may have been cold for a few minutes, it was well worth it for Linder.

“Can you imagine what some of those people went through over there?” Linder asked. “I kind of follow history a little bit and those people that were marching in cold snow and their fingers were frostbit and they were losing toes. What I just did was nothing compared to what those people went through.”

What does Dec. 26th mean to you?

To people here in Minnesota, it could be seen as the day that you return to work after a Christmas holiday, the beginning of a 364-day wait for more Christmas presents, or simply just another cold winter day with little significance at all.

In the British Commonweath, it is known as Boxing Day, after an old tradition where the families of servants would box up leftovers from their master’s Christmas feast and take them home to their families.

For myself and others born in Melbourne, Australia, December 26th is all about cricket.

Every December 26th, the Australian national cricket team plays the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground — the biggest stadium in Australia.

Taking place in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer, it is the perfect time for a cricket test — a test being a cricket match played over a five-day span.

The Boxing Day Test usually is set up to feature the most important match of the year for the Australian team, and this most recent Boxing Day Test featured the mother of all cricket rivalries — Australia vs. England for the Ashes.

The Ashes are played every other year between the two nations, with the host of the series switching off every other time it is played.

The Ashes are very important to Australia. Whereas the USA cut its ties with England in 1776, Australia remains a part of the British Empire to this very day. This doesn’t mean much more than the fact that Queen Elizabeth II’s head is on all Australian currency.

Whereas Australia has never been able to declare absolute independence from England, Australians have always had one small consolation — they’ve usually been able to beat England at cricket.

Australia won the first eight Ashes series in my lifetime — it became almost a given that they would win each time.

However, England won the series in 2005, and again in 2009. Although it hurt to see Australia lose, the blow was deadened by the fact that both series were played in England.

Then came this most recent Ashes series.

Each series is comprised on five separate tests in five different cities. This time around first test, played in Brisbane, ended in a draw. Then England won the second test in Adelaide.

England needed only to win one of the next three tests to guarantee that the entire series would end in at least a tie, meaning England would retain the Ashes. That would be unthinkable for Australia, who hadn’t failed to win the Ashes at home since 1987.

Australia rallied to win the third test in Perth, tying the series before the fourth test — the Boxing Day Test.

This was perhaps the biggest Boxing Day Test of my lifetime. Australia simply had to win.

What actually transpired was a quite different story.

England clobbered Australia. Then to make matters worse, they clobbered Australia in the fifth test in Sydney as well.

It was the most embarrassing cricket defeat for Australia in my lifetime.

Australia has been either the top-ranked team in the world or ranked near the top my entire lifetime; the national team had already begun a downward spiral before the Ashes, but the Ashes defeat has brought the nation’s recent cricketing embarassment to a new level.

We’re entering a dark time for Aussie cricket, the likes of which I have never witnessed before.

Luckily Australia has until July 2013 to prepare for the next Ashes series, and once again prove to England that they can put their Queen on our money, but they can’t go around beating us in cricket.

If this blog post has at all piqued your interest in cricket, feel free to get in touch with me and I’ll be able to tell you much much more.

 On a side note:

On January 15^th, myself and Daily Globe night editor Joe Froemming will be jumping through the ice into Lake Okabena.

But why?

We will be representing the Daily Globe in this year’s Deep Freeze Dip, raising money for the next installment of the Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight, an organization that provides veterans with a chance to tour war memorials in Washington, D.C.

We will continue receiving donations throughout the coming week. Please contact either of us if you would like to make a pledge.