A lifetime of dedication to work, play

Coach Anit Pal has been coaching volleyball at Armijo for the last four years, but coached at Club Solano for seven. It’s a position that allows him to serve as a pulmonologist, a job he has held since graduating college.

Volleyball is very important to Coach Patel. “I played volleyball since a really young age and learned from my dad. I played in college at UC Berkeley (CAL). My daughter (Diya) got interested at a young age and so I decided to get into coaching,” she said. Coach Patel has a younger daughter attending Armijo, too, Leah.

While the girls are glad to be back on the court, COVID has set up some unique challenges. “It has limited practice time due to protocols needed to start practice, like screening and temperature checks,” Coach Patel said.

While becoming a doctor took years of education, it helped with becoming a coach. “It takes a lot of dedication and planning and education to become a coach,” he said, “but if you love the sport, then it’s worth it.”

If any changes can happen this year with the new leadership, Coach Patel hopes they can include better communication with the staff and coaching. “Although it is pretty good already, it can always be better,” he said. ”GO ROYALS!”