Mother, son duo from Dartmouth Lawn Bowling Club to compete at Australian Open

A mother and son duo from the Dartmouth Lawn Bowling Club in Dartmouth, N.S., are taking their talents across the world to play in the sport's Australian Open.

Ann Marie Siteman and John Siteman are competing in the tournament that runs until June 21 in various venues along Australia's Gold Coast. It'll be the seventh time the two are competing in the event.  

"Getting to go there and see that high level competition and be a part of it is just a dream," John said.

Hundreds of people from all over the world are participating. The Sitemans will compete separately and together.

They'll play with bowlers from Canada and other countries in the men's and women's draws and then team up for the mixed pairs competition.

They don't have any specific goals except to have fun, try their best and not get "skunked," Ann Marie said. 

"You don't know who you're going to come up against," she said. "You could come up against a club bowler, you could come up against somebody who's on their national team, so to me it's a challenge."

As much as they revel in the challenge of top competition, they started playing because it was something they both can enjoy. 

"It's one of the few sports that two different generations of people, two different genders can play together," Ann Marie said. 

She joked exactly how much they enjoy playing with each other depends on the day, but they've been fortunate enough to have some success and travel the world together.

"I never imagined that we would go to Australia or see most of Canada as a result of lawn bowling," she said. 

Returning to an event like the Australian Open so many times, the Sitemans said they've been able to make friends with people from around the world and learn from some of the best lawn bowlers in the sport. 

While it's nice to win, what matters most to Ann Marie and John is the connections they're making and the fun they're having along the way. 

"Getting to make those memories with my mom is so awesome," John said.