Jeannette Zimmer Cheney Year: Junior Sport: Cross Country

The latest theory as to what occasionally ails Jeannette Zimmer sounds like someone’s idea of a joke.

Just try to keep a straight face at the mere mention of the malady: bird fanciers lung disease.

In short, one doctor believes Zimmer’s parakeets are responsible for her here-today, gone-tomorrow lung problems.

The Cheney runner acquiesced and removed the two feathered offenders from her room, but there’s no proof that her condition is, er, tweetable.

A different specialist believes Zimmer’s lungs take in enough oxygen, but the delivery to her red blood cells is insufficient.

Whatever the diagnosis, Zimmer has lately run like the thoroughbred who won the State AA meet as a freshman in 1994. Last Thursday, during a home meet, she registered a 20-second win over a field that included two-time team state champ East Valley and ‘93 individual state champ Jessica Riehle of West Valley.

Zimmer has again established herself as a favorite for Wednesday’s District 7-AA meet at Hangman Valley Golf Course. Last year, whatever impedes her running flared up at district and resulted in a 17th-place finish, too low to qualify for state.

“(A recurrence) is in the back of my mind, but I try not to think about it,” Zimmer said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo