The start of a new sports season is a hopeful time for athletes. Their equipment is the proof of their commitment; their performance, their practice. For many Stevenson teams, however, these upcoming seasons hold slightly more weight. Stevensons’ varsity boys’ water polo team is one such example. Having lost the past two championship games — once as the favorites, once as the underdogs — they are hoping for the third time to be the charm: for this season to be different.
“[We had] two different situations in back-to-back years,” Jakob Denesha ’25 said. “[In] one, we thought we were going to win; [in] the [other], we were just glad to be in the state championship game. The first one did hurt a little bit more. But [even when] the championship isn’t within reach, you do feel close, and it does feel attainable, and the hurt in the loss hurts just as bad.”
As an observer, one might see second place as an honorable achievement. And it is. However, for many in Denesha’s position, the silver medal is not a prize but a punishment. This sentiment has a name: Silver Medal Syndrome.
Coined in the 90s, “Silver Medal Syndrome” refers to a collective tendency to focus on what could have been, minimizing accomplishments the most when they are “one step away” from winning it all. A famous 1995 study by Cornell psychologists Victoria Husted Medvec, Scott F. Madey, and Thomas Gilovich found that although silver medalists are above bronze ones on the podium, they rank far below them in happiness for the aforementioned reason.
Although the term connotes itself negatively, its effects are not always undesirable. For those in second place, first feels closer than ever. This may seem tantalizing, frustrating, at first glance. However, people tend to increase efforts as they approach the accomplishment of a goal: the motivation surges; the efforts become more effortful. This phenomenon is known as the “goal-gradient effect”: something multiple of this year’s Stevenson teams know well.
This past June, Stevenson’s pickleball club placed second in the first-ever Illinois High School State Pickleball Tournament. However, for the players, like Isaac Sommerfeld ’25, who placed second, it played as a motivator.
“We hadn’t played anyone necessarily better than us until we faced a team with two pro players—unfortunate, but it didn’t deter us,” Sommerfeld said. “It motivated us to train more in the off-season, play semi-pro tournaments, practice together, and improve individually to prepare for state.”
Additionally, the motivation is seen within a lot of Stevenson teams. As for the boys’ water polo team, it has caused the players to be more focused and inclined to win.
“[The team is] tired of 2nd place from the last two years,” boys’ water polo coach Sean Wimer said. “There’s definitely a renewed energy and focus.”
There is a lot for the team to focus on. According to Denesha, the team has many practices over their breaks and put in lots of time as most students went on trips or relaxed at home.
“It’s a long season,” Denesha said. “We have [about] 70 practices in the span of three months. So [we’re] working really hard, […] about five hours a day during spring break. And then we have a tournament. So the mindset is: ‘Just work harder than the other teams because they all want it, but [but] [we] want it, [too].’”
With the team working their hardest to end the year strong, they dedicate most of their time to practices. Now, with a new season to come, Stevenson teams use their second place to their advantage to defeat their competitors.