Indisputably, The Berrics is the biggest skateboard website of all time. Love it or hate it, they've got new video content every day of the week for you to chomp on. Their contests are entered by skaters all over the world-and it just so happens that their latest contest (Bang Yo'Self) was won by Kamloops B.C.'s own Derek Swaim. I hit up Derek while he was in LA to get the scoop on the whole spectacle.

So, how did you find out that you had won the Bangin' contest?
I found out through Facebook-all my friends were posting it on my wall. That morning I checked it and my FB was blowin' up.

Nice. I heard that most of the footage was really old anyway. Is that true?
Not really that old - almost two years.  On it's way to being old, I'd say.

Derek's Bang Yo' Self entry:

Fair enough. So what next, they just told you when they were gonna fly you down there to film?
Actually, someone from the Berrics told me a couple days before they posted the news... forgot about that.  But anyway yeah, took us a while to get organized and booked, but they basically just told me ‘congratulations', did a little interview over the phone, then they told me they were flying me out for a free trip.

What's it like being invited to that place? I mean... every kid that skateboards would love to get a chance to go. Were you rattled at all?
It's crazy being invited to that place. I was nervous for the first bit, and a little intimidated because I know how much craziness has gone down in there.  I felt like, what am I gonna do in there to compete? I got nothing. But at the end of the day, it's not really a competition - it's just skateboarding. I thought to myself, 'I'm just gonna skate, have fun, and be me-not compare myself to anyone else.' Basically, just trying to do what I can as far as filming in the park, try and show people I deserved it.

I was wondering about that - must be heavy to go in there and try and do stuff that hasn't been done before...because everything has been done there. You did mess around on the quarterpipes with some combos though! Some unique stuff for sure.
Thanks man. Those q-pipes were fun! Yeah, it was tough to think of things that hadn't been done because there have been so many pros that have filmed there.

So you were there for three days, pretty much non-stop? What's it like being there with the purpose of making a Bangin'? Stress much?
Yep, it was really steady, a lot of skating in a fairly short amount of time. With the sole purpose of filming a Bangin', it was stressful on the last day because I hadn't filmed much up until then, haha.

Derek's "Bangin'" video:

Did Steve come in and talk to you guys? He must've.
We went to his office. Me and Yoshi (the other winner) met Steve the day we got into Los Angeles. I asked him to skate with us but he said his knee was hurt, but he did come in for a bit while we were skating one night

Did you session much with Yoshi, or did you mostly do your own separate thing?
Yeah, we did session the quarter pipes and manny pad together, and the flatbar a bit. Other than that we did our own separate thing, because he was ready to film his Bangin' within the first five minutes of being in the park. I definitely wasn't ready; I'm just not that kind of skater I guess... I try not to rush myself when I film.

I think you could tell he was a super keener. What about at night, did they put you up in a hotel downtown? Surely there wasn't a sleeping bag under the ramp for you.
Yep, the first night I passed out hard. They had us staying downtown at the Kyoto Hotel, two beds... my team manager from Supra Distribution came along too. Him and me shared my room, Yoshi had his own room. Other than that though, we were so beat from all the long sessions that we didn't have much energy to do anything at night.

Hey man, ripping is a fulltime job. All in all, how would you rate the experience?
Looking back on it, I'd rate it an 8/10. All in all it was super fun.

First Try Fridays with Derek and Yoshi:

Probably close to a million skaters know who you are now. Is that a trip?
That's really a trip; the Internet has come so far, just like skateboarding. It's Squirrel chunky nutty.

That's quite the metaphor. What are your projects coming up? I heard you're still filming in L.A.
Haha, thank you. I have no idea, I'm just filming, trying to stack footage that I can show my sponsors.

Good luck, hopefully we'll see some of that soon!
For sure. Can I say thanks to: Dane and Supra, Judah at Timebomb, Centre, Craig Williams, Ultimate, Caissie, Stacy, and everyone else who helped me.

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