Titanium plate and 14 screws doesn’t thwart her Zumba shaking

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, September 27, 2016

A titanium plate and about 14 screws in her leg doesn’t keep Gail McClary from shaking her stuff to “Rompe” by Daddy Yankee.

She’s a Zumba instructor at the Mukilteo YMCA and Lake Stevens Athletic Club.

McClary, 64, started teaching Zumba about 10 years ago after retiring from a nursing career that included Providence Medical Center, The Everett Clinic and Providence Regional Cancer Partnership.

Her only break from teaching Zumba was due to a skiing accident. “I broke my leg really bad in Switzerland,” she said. “I had to be helicoptered off to a local hospital. It was in a ski town where it was very routine for them, not so much for me. I had to learn how to walk all over again.”

She was off for seven months. “They told me a year. I said that was too long.”

She is a volunteer at Community Cat Coalition. She and her husband, Sam, have a cat, Big Boy.

What is Zumba?

Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and other international music with dance and fitness moves to create a fun, effective and a high-energy work out. Zumba classes are in 180 countries worldwide and 15 million people are taking Zumba classes.

How did you get started?

Ten years ago the Marysville Y offered a preview of several group classes they were considering adding to their schedule and Zumba was one of them. I love music and I love to dance. I was hooked. It was a huge step to become an instructor. It was very scary. I’m used to being in charge because I was used to being a manager, so I can be in charge. But it can be intimidating.

All those things that go on in my head you’d never know. I’m looking at everybody. I’m making sure your shoes are tried. That everybody’s going in the same direction. Not everybody but most people.

And sometimes I think about what to make for dinner.

What is your favorite Zumba song?

“Rompe” by Daddy Yankee. It was the first song I learned to choreograph. But as my class members know, I love any song by Daddy Yankee.

What is the funniest thing that ever happened in class?

Someone wore their shoes on the wrong feet for most of a class.

Talk about your life before Zumba.

I am a registered nurse and practiced for over 34 years. I have been a member of the Everett Branch of the Mountaineers since 1980 and was very active in their climbing and skiing courses as an instructor for many years.

If you could have a drink with anyone alive or in history, who would it be and why?

Walter Payton or Ernie Banks. I grew up on the south side of Chicago. I love da Bears, and am a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan.

Fill in the blank: People would be shocked to know

I was a ballerina as a little girl. Well, I don’t know if they would be shocked.

What’s your most proud moment?

Climbing Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska with two other women and standing on the summit: 20,310 feet.

What three things are in your fridge?

Fresh ginger, cilantro and Vietnamese fish sauce.

How did you meet your husband?

I was working in Denver at a hospital that was a trauma center and my husband was doing his oral surgery there. We were working the night shift and we had to call him a lot because of head and neck trauma. The hospital was known as “the knife and gun club.”

When he finished his residency we moved to Washington for his practice. A lot of people know him here because he took out their wisdom teeth and then took out their children’s wisdom teeth.

Did he take out yours?

When he was a resident I let him. They needed practice. We were dating, and one night he said, “Hey, you want to come over and I’ll take out your wisdom teeth?”

What is your pet peeve?

People who do not follow through with commitments.

What is your guilty pleasure?

It changes, but right now, pasta.

What is something people don’t know about you?

I can play the guitar.

What things are you passionate about?

Cats, my garden and travel.

Your favorite place to travel?

Nepal.

I’ve always been interested in the Himalayas. It always seemed like this mysterious, mystical place. Our first trip was in 1984. I love the atmosphere and the culture. I mean, who gets to see Mount Everest in their lifetime?