Sammy Popper is one of many locals on national junior field hockey teams
There are 17 players from Southeastern Pennsylvania on U.S. junior national teams.
Sammy Popper started playing club field hockey when she was 8. Her junior national team career began when she was in eighth grade.
The Germantown Academy sophomore is currently touring with the U.S. under-19 national team in Germany for the second straight year. Over the last three years, she has also been to Belgium and Austria.
"It's a pretty amazing opportunity," Popper said. "I wouldn't have that without field hockey. It's something really special, and I appreciate it a lot."
Popper is not the only area player to have that kind of experience.
There are 17 current and former southeastern Pennsylvania high school players listed on the U.S. under-17, -19 and -21 squads.
In March, players trained for three days in North Carolina. Now, select players from each team are playing in Europe.
"Obviously it's a national team, so there are girls from California and other places," Popper said. "But it's pretty cool because there are local clubs and some girls from your own club. I'm already friends with a lot of them, so it's just fun to play with people that you're around a lot."
The under-19 team started its Germany Tour on Wednesday and will continue until Tuesday. The under-17 team is playing in Ireland until Tuesday, and the under-21 team is playing in England until Sunday.
Episcopal Academy senior Corinne Zanolli is teaming with two former high school teammates on the under-21 roster. They are Princeton University freshman Maddie Backsai and Duke University sophomore Margaux Paolino.
Along with Germantown Academy and Episcopal, other schools from the Inter-Ac League are well represented on the junior national teams. Villa Maria Academy, Agnes Irwin and the Academy of Notre Dame all have at least one player on either the under-17, under-19 or under-21 teams.
"Field hockey being as prominent as it is in Pennsylvania, when you play all these high school games, you are always running into people you know through U.S. or club or anything," Zanolli said. "It is really cool. It is such a tight-knit community."
Zanolli has made trips to Belgium, Germany, Canada, Austria, New Zealand and even China during her field hockey career. She traveled to Germany for the under-19 squad last year.
Her first experience with the junior national team came when she went to Belgium with the under-17 team as a sophomore in 2015.
"I vividly remember the first match that we played," said Zanolli, who is committed to play at Stanford next season. "We all had our jerseys on. It said USA on the front. It was the coolest thing."
While she has played for the junior national team several times, Zanolli said she still respects its significance.
"Standing there with some of my best friends and hearing the national anthem played is a feeling that really humbles you," Zanolli said. "You are playing for something a lot bigger than yourself."