Zero tolerance, maximum fun
Golden Skate owner embraces relationship with the San Ramon Police Dept.
By Scott Steinberg, STAFF WRITER
Friday, January 24, 2003

THE GOLDEN SKATE roller rink in San Ramon has zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol. Its owner, Hassan Sharifi, in fact, does not permit smoking on the property, including the parking lot.

Partnering with the San Ramon Police Department to host Drug Abuse Resistance Education skate nights has been a natural fit for the Fremont resident and former University of Nebraska English professor.

“This is one of the most successful DARE programs in the nation,” Sharifi said. “We bring in 150 to 400 kids at one time so the officers can talk to them one-on-one.”

The first skate night of the season was Wednesday for fifth-graders in San Ramon, Danville and Alamo. Admission is $7. Parents skate free, and about one-third of the admissions go to the DARE program. This is the ninth year the police department has held its DARE skate nights. Sharifi has owned the Golden Skate for seven years.

But why did Sharifi leave the University of Nebraska, “where they teach football,” as he put it, to operate a roller rink? “I got to the top of the academic ladder,” he said. “All I had to do was wait to retire and die.” The Iranian native decided to return to California and try his hand at real estate. He now sells commercial real estate in addition to operating the Golden Skate.

He pays his high school employees $100 for a full one-point increase in their grade point average. Maintaining straight A’s is also worth $100. “I run this place like a school,” Sharifi said.

The sixth-grade skate nights are Jan. 27, Feb. 12 and March 12. The two remaining fifth-grade skate nights are Feb. 10 and March 10. The third- and fourth-grade skate nights are Jan. 29, Feb. 24 and March 17. The first- and second-grade skate nights are Feb. 3, Feb. 26 and March 19. Each program begins at 6 p.m.