Tennis is known to be a sport that people can continue to play recreationally at almost any age but a trio of Newtown residents ranging from 54 to 61 continues to do more than just play for fun. John Reisert, Mike Piera, and Dr Tom Conrod compete — at a very high level.

A team of players based out of Tennis Central Club in Woodbridge — including these Newtown players — placed first in its division during the regular season, won the sectional tournament, and represented New England in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) League National Championships in Oklahoma City this fall. The team competed in the Men’s 40 and over 4.0 division and placed third — quite an impressive accomplishment. Reisert, Piera, and Conrod are among the older players on this team, and all of its participants competed in the national event and played a key role in the winning ways.

There were 1,458 teams (over 15,000 individual players) that competed in the regular season; 17 teams won sectionals and went to nationals and this squad went undefeated, going 4-0, in pool play to reach the final four. It lost only to the eventual National Champions, from Kentucky, in a tiebreaker after a 2-2 deadlock.

“We were very, very close with that team — they edged us out,” said Conrod, 56, adding that he and his teammates were happy with their achievement.

The Connecticut-based team went on to defeat a representative from Hawaii to seal third place. Reisert, 54, believes this is the first New England team to reach the final four for this division. The team includes mostly players from Connecticut with some participants from Rhode Island and New York, and is led by captain Glen Maxwell.

Each team versus team competition in the tourney featured one singles competition and three doubles matches; ties were decided by set wins.

The Newtown players, along with their teammates, have been playing tennis since their school days. Several decades and numerous matches later — including in the Newtown Tennis Association’s annual Open tournament — they are still going strong out on the courts.

Piera, 61, has played tennis since his days at Bethel High School. He competes out of the Middlebury Racquet Club. A challenge for Piera in the last couple of years has been overcoming injuries. He’s battled through chronic tennis elbow and wrist surgery. For Piera, the diversion of playing the game is one of the biggest benefits. Piera runs his own business, Analog.Man guitar effects pedals, and welcomes the change of pace from a stressful work day when he can grab the racquet and play.

“I like to do things that really get my mind off of work. Tennis requires so much concentration,” said Piera, who also races Porsches — another hobby that requires full concentration, he notes.

Piera said that he enjoys playing up at the higher level, 4.5, for some matches for the required focus necessary just to be competitive. “It’s so hard to win. You have to really concentrate so much,” he said.

Competing in the national tourney was a thrill for Piera.

“It was so much fun being with the guys,” said Piera, adding that winning against some of the best teams in the country was quite rewarding.

“It was very exciting,” said Conrod, pointing out that the team has been strong for a few years and managed to get over the hump this go-around with its first national event qualification.

“Everybody was happy to be there. We didn’t know what to expect,” said Conrod, reflecting on winning two matches on day one and repeating the feat on the second day. “All of a sudden we’re in the final four.”

Conrod enjoys playing in local tourneys with his children said a strategy he has implemented in recent years is to pace himself, but he does play regularly out of Middlebury Racquet Club and Tennis Club of Trumbull.

“I want to be able to continue to play competitively at times,” he said. “I just want to pace myself so I can keep on playing.”

Conrod is an optometrist and does most of his playing at night following a long day of work.

“Everyone made the effort. Everyone made the time to make it happen,” Conrod said of the team.

Successful Summer For Reisert

Prior to this accomplishment in Oklahoma City, Reisert built up quite a year of success.

Along with his doubles partner, Glenn Lavallee of New Milford — who was also part of the third-place team — Reisert competes in tournaments throughout the year and this year traveled to Palm Springs, Calif. for a USTA tri-level format national tournament. This format is designed to provide a unique team opportunity by combining players of different National Tennis Rating Program levels on the same squad. A highlight was winning their match versus Texas (coming back to win 2-6, 6-2 and 11-9 in the third set tiebreaker).

The doubles tandem, based out of Middlebury Racquet Club, has a 4.0 ranking and joined forces with a 4.5 team from Vermont and a 3.5 team from Farmington Valley. The team was comprised based on each winning sectional tournament to create a New England-based squad.

“It was a great experience. It was really fun,” Reisert said of joining forces with other players and taking on tough competition.

A players’ ranking is based on the previous year of competition; 4.5 is the highest USTA ranking. Reisert, as well as Piera and Conrod, has played in some 4.5 level tennis.

“You can play up. That’s the beauty of it,” Reisert said.

Reisert added that the tri-level format is great for putting comparable players against each other. In the past, open tournament formats resulted in some uneven matchups, he said.

“The new system has worked pretty well for us,” Reisert added. “When I first got out of college, the tournaments were mostly open so you could see players of all ability and often higher than mine which would make for quick exits.”

Reisert plays about 25 to 30 matches per year on various teams. He also represents a Woodbridge 4.0 team of 40-year-old and over players, and still competes against significantly younger players in some events. Reisert prefers doubles over singles play, especially in those instances.

“Doubles sort of levels the playing field because there’s more strategic play than sheer athleticism and stamina,” he said. “It is tougher going against the younger guys.”

Traveling to compete and with limited time to prepare are obstacles Reisert has to overcome.

“The toughest thing is getting warmed up. I definitely play better as my match goes along,” he said.

Interestingly, it turns out both Reisert and Lavallee played at Assumption College and may have overlapped one year. What’s more, they share the same birthday, September 18. “It’s been a unique bond we have,” Reisert said. They just happened to cross paths at Middlebury Racquet Club and have made the most of their tennis connection.

Reisert is a math teacher at Fairfield Ludlowe High School where he also coaches tennis, and Lavallee is a physical therapist. With their busy schedules, particularly during the school year, practicing together is not easy. “We try to get out when we can,” Reisert said.

Tennis success stands to continue on and at the court for Reisert in 2023.

Ludlowe’s coach since 1999, Reisert is 13 wins away from 400 in his career. With six state championships, four state runner-ups, and five FCIAC championships under his belt, he was recently inducted into the FCIAC Hall Of Fame.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.