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EESTI ELU reedel, 19. novembril 2021 — Friday, November 19, 2021
We’re Listening with EMW: Revo and Toe Tag’s lasting sociocultural contributions Vincent Teetsov In July 2021, ten years after rapper Revo Jõgisalu (known simply as Revo) passed away at the age of 35 from mela noma, a memorial festival known as FOREVO was held. Directing the festival were his friends and bandmates Genka (Henry Kõrvits) and DJ Paul Oja – members of the Estonian hip hop group, Toe Tag. The festival spread aware ness of melanoma and raised money for children and families affected by cancer. Through the fund called FOREVO MTÜ, donations were given to Eesti Vähihaigete Laste Vanemate Liit (the Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer) and its event, Pardiralli (Duck Rally). Drawing specta tors were performances from the likes of Genka and Paul
Padel: The sport that’s catching on at a pace like no other Vincent Teetsov While the evolution of sports around the world is, for the most part, based upon the escalation of speed and raw power, one of the world’s fastest growing sports has a different focus. This sport is named “padel.” The name of the sport indi cates what it’s generally about. It bears a resemblance to tennis and squash – or pickleball if you’re already familiar with that scene – but exchanges strung rackets for a solid racket. Padel rackets come in a round, teardrop, or diamond shape based on the ascending skill level and strategies of the player. Furthermore, each racket has a different balance and weight, which is influenced by the materials used to construct its core (ethylene-vinyl acetate or polyethylene foam) and im pact surface (graphite or fibre glass) that has several holes on both sides. Below the grip of each racket is a wrist strap that one is required to wear. Padel is played on a 20 metre long by 10 metre wide court (indoors or outdoors, on turf, concrete, or tarmac),
Photo: padelfip.com
Oja, Dead Furies, Gram-Of-Fun, and Redel. It wasn’t the first time a commemorative event like this had happened, either. Several times before, Revo’s friends held the Mälestuskontsert FoRevo (FoRevo Memorial Concert), where fans rallied around the songs he helped to create and celebrated his life. Remembering the life of a musician adds meaning to their compositions. But it can make it tough to listen to songs, too. I’m reminded of how Dave Grohl found it difficult to listen to anything he recorded with Nirvana, especially the band’s last album, In Utero, because “...it brings back other memo ries, it kinda makes my skin crawl.” Then there’s the opposite feeling, where you want to take in a work of art because it rep
resents a person, time, or place which you once knew, or one you would like to have known. Consider Generation Z’s craving for early 2000s or “Y2K” fashion. Or Millennials and their passion for the 80s music and films. If you want to go back to Tallinn between the years 1996 and 2004, listen to Toe Tag’s album Legendaarne (Legen dary). Tracks like “Hundinahas lambad” (which could be translated as “Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing”) are satisfying for
aking it half the size of a m tennis court. A three metre wall stands at each end and a fence surrounds the rest of the court. In the middle is a net that’s just under one metre in height. On each side, a service line stretches across the whole width of the court, as well as there being a line going through the middle, connecting the two service lines. Distinguishing it from other rising racket sports, such as paddle tennis and platform ten nis, is the use of a low pressure tennis ball (as opposed to one made of foam rubber, or a plas tic ball with holes as used in pickleball) and a thicker racket. How do you play padel? Firstly, it’s typically a doubles game. The rules are simple. As explained by the Canada PADEL Federation, a padel match commences with a coin toss, initial rally, or something equivalent to decide who serves first. As with tennis, the game scoring system works such that “the first point is 15, the second 30 and the third 40. Tied at 40 is called Deuce. Points after that are called ‘advantage to server’ or ‘advantage to receiv er’...” Those serving must an nounce the score out loud. Each team of two players “must win by two points”, or one point in World Padel Tour competitions. The first player to win six games wins a set, and the best of three sets wins a match. To serve, players hit the ball underhand, below waist height, after it bounces once behind the service line. Players hit the ball to the other side of the net or bounce it off of the back and side walls. If you hit the ball into the net or let it hit the ground twice on your side, your opponent wins a point. Padel Academy, run by SmashForward OÜ, describes the invention of the sport in 1969 by Mexican businessman
Enrique Corcuera at his home’s own squash court. Wooden rackets were used to adapt to the smaller court size. When his friend Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg caught wind of the sport, he brought it to Marbella, Spain, where he had opened the Marbella Club Hotel. The number of clubs grew over the decades, and by 2013, the World Padel Series championship was hosting athletes from all over. In 2020, Singaporean sports marketing and brand agency Dejavu esti mated that padel had over eight million participants, with the top two countries being Spain and Argentina. Considering padel’s similari ty to tennis, what made it grow in popularity? Padel is a sport that makes fitness and competition more inclusive across abilities and age demographics. The empha sis on underhand serves pre vents players from basing their game plan on ballistic serves. Players must think cleverly about shot placement and wait for the right time to do an aggressive smash. The pace of the game is slowed by the lower pressure, and therefore decreased bounce, of the ball. Perhaps this can extend the use of all the discarded balls tennis players accumulate after their matches! And owing to its doubles for mat, padel is even more social and communicative. Showing padel’s sociability and adaptability is the Estonian Senior Padel Tour. Among its ranks, men and women over 40 years old play regularly and have competed in tournaments multiple times per year, includ ing the Padel Chill Cup that was held in Pärnu in June 2021. The organization keeps a regularly updated league table, egging members on to improve their skills. And when it’s all said and done, they put down
Revo Jõgisalu. Photo: Teet Malsroos
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their down-to-basics style. The foundation of their tracks is a catchy sample, riff, or hard-hit ting beat for Revo, Genka, and guest artists to build their heavy wordplay around. From their 2009 album Kõik on formuleerimise küsimus (Everything is a Question of Formulation), the song “As faldiorjad” (“Asphalt Slaves”) is a danceable track with upbeat energy. Look out online for their live version of the song with jazz and bossa nova singer Uno Loop. There’s also the music of A-Rühm (“The A-Team”), an ensemble that Revo and Genka joined in 1998, with DJ Critikal, Kozy, and Cool D. The principle sen timent picked up on in all of this music is that they had fun crafting it, despite any struggles faced outside of the studio or off-stage. Already undergoing sur geries, losing hair, and facing worsening health due to the spread of cancer, Revo took to the stage at Eesti Hip Hop Festival in Elva, Tartu County 10 days before he passed away.
He wanted to make music until the very end. However, he was equally serious about his health and the health of others. Before he died, Revo commented on how “An Estonian man does not go to the doctor until it is already pain ful.” His public fight with cancer led all of his friends and acquaintances to supplant that trend and be proactive about their health. Who knows how many people’s health he has posthumously helped through kindling open discussions and advocacy. In October 2021, a concert was held in Tallinn that celebrated the 25th anniversary of Toe Tag’s first concert in Tallinn, thus attracting new crowds and listeners for the band’s music. Revo’s time to make music was cut short; but when music is so tethered to friendships and energetic communities, as it is with his and his friends’ musi cal endeavours, it moves indi viduals to action in so many other ways and will continue in that way of its own accord.
the rackets and fire up the bar beque or enjoy some pizza and beer together. Leading the charge in the teaching and promotion of padel, including for younger Estonians, is the Estonian Padel Association, founded in 2017. After their foundation, they took action to make Estonia the 34th nation to join the International Padel Federation. This all transpired within a very efficient five month period. The commercial side of the sport is expanding, too. In 2021, Padel Company was es tablished in Tallinn, with book able court facilities in Ülemiste and on the rooftop of Viru Keskus. Meanwhile, the compa
ny Padel+ has its own academy and added a new club location in Kuressaare, its third location in Estonia. If you want to try your hand at padel in Canada, you’ll find that it’s less available than other countries. Padel Ontario notes that there are “only a small handful of private padel courts in Ontario as of mid-2021... There are several efforts to establish a commercial and ac cessible padel club in the GTA.” On November 13th, 2021, Canada’s first indoor padel courts opened up in Calgary. Once people see how much fun they can have with padel, it’s certain to move very quickly across the country.
Remembrance Day commemoration at Tallinn’s Military Cemetery: Col. Tõnis Nõmmik, Canadian Charges d’affaires Tyler Wordsworth, Maj. Pearo Nõmmik. Photo: maj. Ulo Isberg
Rev. Gustav Piir, presiding at Tallinn’s Remembrance Day gathering at the Military Cemetery. Photo: maj. Ulo Isberg
