Poland the next stop for Abbie and family

Whangarei's Abbie Palmer has seen a lot of the world for a teenager, and she's set to see more.

The 15-year-old will head to Poland in August as part of the New Zealand Junior Girls Squash team, making the cut two years after being named in a wider training squad.

Poland will be the latest international escapade for Palmer, who first represented New Zealand as a fresh faced 9-year-old when she was part of a New Zealand Squash team travelling to Hong Kong.

Even as a 9-year-old, Palmer showed her future in the sport was bright as she came fourth in Hong Kong while competing in the under-11 category.

Palmer's mum, Joyce, conceived that while Palmer has seen many more countries than most Northlanders her age, sometimes her daughter misses out on being a teenager.

"She misses out on a lot," Joyce explained. "What she does struggle with is not seeing her friends. She's getting to that age where there's lots happening in the social scene with her friends ... [and] with parties and concerts that kids are going to. She doesn't get to go to them all, she's always somewhere."

However, Joyce said that was the pledge Palmer made, adding that either way her family would support her and follow her in her travels.

Palmer's family will travel with her to Poland, with Joyce saying the decision to go was a bit of a no-brainer.

"I can see that now [that Palmer's family was always likely to travel if she made the team]," Joyce said. "It's definitely something; you don't get these chances very often. She's [Palmer] eligible in another two years' time [for the NZ Junior Team] but you don't know. I don't know if Abbie will still be involved."

This year's world championships will be Palmer's second after making the last championships two-and-a-half years ago in Boston.

Joining Palmer in the team of six, but not travelling to Poland, is fellow Northlander Jacinta Matson who was named as a non-travelling reserve.

New Zealand High Performance coach Paul Hornsby says there was little doubt over who the best four players were from the group. He says the team selected represents the players who have proved themselves to be the strongest and best prepared on a consistent basis.

However, Hornsby says picking a non-travelling reserve has not been quite so easy.

"At this stage we have named both Juee Bhide and Matson as non-travelling reserves, because it is simply too hard to separate them," Hornsby said.

"Fortunately, it is not a decision we are forced to make at the moment, but should one of them be required we will have a play-off to see who gets the nod."

The team will be coached and managed by Cambridge's Joanne Williams in Poland. Joanne was in the same role two years ago when New Zealand secured a seventh place finish at the 2011 championships in Boston.

The World Junior Girls Squash Championships are in Poland from July 16 to 27.

NZ Team

Ellie Epke, Rebecca Barnett, Abbie Palmer, Hayley Hughes. Non travelling reserves: Juee Bhide, Jacinta Matson.