The Ballarat teenager's skills are sharper than ever after a month training with the national team.

"My speed has got a lot quicker, and my fitness has improved," she said.

Howden, who flies to Hobart this afternoon, will represent Victoria in the under-18 welter weight Olympic sparring tomorrow, and the senior Olympic sparring on Sunday.

The two-time junior gold medallist hopes to figure prominently in both events.

"I just want to perform at my best and see how things go. A medal would be good," she said.

While the 15-year-old has a wealth of experience against her peers, this will be her first open tournament at national level.

"There's quite a lot of difference," she said.

"In the seniors, I could fight people up to 30 years old, but the juniors are only up to 18. The people in the seniors have a lot more experience."

Howden was reasonably laid-back, however, in the build up to the tournament.

"At the moment I'm very relaxed and taking it slowly. But by tomorrow afternoon when I get on the plane I will start to get nervous."

Howden won a place on the state team after a solid performance at the selection trials in Melbourne last month.

She scored bronze in the junior division under-18 black belts, and silver in the senior division under-30 black belts.

She also excelled on the international stage in 2004, taking bronze in the Malaysian Open under-18 division.

Howden, a member of the UBWestVic Academy of Sport and City West Taekwondo at Hoppers Crossing, will challenge for Australian selection early next year.