On May 14th, 2024, Gavin Rand made Warren Township history as the first ever male member to be on Warren’s varsity dance team just in time for his senior year. Though the road to school history has come with challenges and adversities, Gavin has time and time again showed what true resilience and passion looks like. Upon interviewing Gavin Rand, I was able to dive deeper into the true meaning of leadership, family, and legacy as it concerns Warren’s varsity athletics.   

To truly understand Gavin’s relationship with this team, it was essential that I ask him about the very beginning of his story, his freshman year. 

In February of 2022, Gavin Rand danced alongside the Warren Township High School varsity dance team during a basketball halftime performance. The partner dance that Gavin engaged in is a beloved Devilettes tradition. For the partner dance, members of the team invite a classmate to participate in practices for a week, which ultimately prepares them for a halftime show packed with fun surprises. Little did we know, this participation with the Devilettes would be his first of many. 

When asked about those initial practices with the Devilettes, Gavin had nothing but glowing reviews, saying “That atmosphere was what I was looking for, I was missing that family, that team.”

Gavin officially joined the dance team just before his sophomore year. With no prior dance experience, excluding his week-long endeavor with the varsity team the winter prior, Gavin was up for a sizable challenge. He spent his rookie season on the junior varsity team, rapidly improving as a performer and teammate. His hyper-focus and dedication at practice provided not only an outlet for him physically, but also mentally. Despite his lack of official training, Gavin’s talents as a dancer and athlete blossomed amidst his new team. Gavin attributes his incredibly resilient personality to this period of growth. 

“I remember I was super nervous going on,” Gavin recalls. His first official performance as a member of the team was at a summer camp he attended with the entire Devilette program. He was extremely thankful for his team members, such as Gabriella Rea, who held his hands before going out on the floor. “I’m glad that I had those people by my side to, you know, be like, ‘You’ve got this, you’re going to be okay.’” 

The more Gavin has danced, the more he has excelled. Gavin tells me, “You can do anything you put your mind to, which I know is easier said than done. But if there is something you’re passionate about, it is never too late to start. As long as you are confident, don’t ever waste time regretting not doing something.”

With every performance in and out of competition season, Gavin fell more in love with the sense of fulfillment that comes with embracing the adrenaline rush from leaving your all out on the floor. “I think that that feeling of accomplishment when I walk off the floor is why I do what I do,” Gavin claims. 

He describes performing as a privilege, because he gets to dance alongside all of his best friends. Gavin says that the friends he has made along the way have been the part of Devilettes he loves the most. When asked about the girls he says, “I mean, I have an older sister, but now, I have, like, fifteen or sixteen of them.”

Gavin claims that, in order to bring the best performance to the floor or field, you need to stay connected as a team. “I’m a firm believer, especially in the Devilettes culture, that it’s family over everything,” he says. The closer the bond that dancers form with one another, the better presentation and chemistry they will have when it’s time to dance for their audiences.

In his second year on the dance team, Gavin became captain of the junior varsity team. Since then, he has thrived as both a leader and a role model. As a senior, Gavin has been focused on impacting and influencing the next generation of dancers in the community. He recalls to me the way that the seniors in past years have led the way, and explains that he hopes to do the same. Gavin tells me, “Throughout my years on the dance team I’ve learned what it means to be a leader, I’ve learned what it means to have an open mind and how to bounce back from challenges, wherever they may lie.”

Being a senior member of a varsity team is all about representation. “I carry this title around with me everywhere I go. Representing the dance team is something that I love doing,” Gavin says. It is evident that he prides himself on this label, on being a face for Warren’s dance team. 

But Gavin’s face is especially recognizable. He has been the only male in the Devilettes program for the last three years. And although he’s not the first male to be on Warren’s dance team, he is the first to earn that Varsity athlete title. When asked about the extra attention he receives, he says proudly, “I know there are people out there in the audience who are looking at me and laughing at me and saying mean things. But I also know that there are people out there who are admiring me, and watching me because I am good at what I do.” 

Though Gavin made it explicitly clear that his role as a guy on varsity is no more essential than that of all his female teammates, he is especially cognizant about what his role means for young athletes looking up to him. Gavin says, “Making history is not all about the title, but about the impact that I can leave behind.” Gavin exudes confidence and pride for what he’s doing; he is paving the way by inspiring all of his peers and community. 

“I hope that there’s another guy on the dance team, in the future, who looks up to what I’m doing now,” Gavin says. 

When asked about how he wants people to feel when they see him dancing, Gavin explains, “I want people to feel as passionate about this sport as I do. I want them to get into the music, I want them to dance along with me, I want them to cheer for me.” Gavin’s passion for dance is what makes him so charming to watch on the dance floor. With a combination of technical strength and effortless style, Gavin shows all of us what it means to entertain.

I finished my interview with Gavin by asking him about his legacy. Gavin responded, “As far as my legacy goes, I want to be remembered with the title of the first male on the varsity dance team, but I also want people to remember who I was as a dancer and how much positivity and energy I brought to the floor. I want to be remembered as the kid who always brought 110% to the table.” 

It is without a doubt that Gavin’s love for the Devilette culture and for representing Warren has made him into an overwhelmingly positive role model that all of us will admire for years to come.