It’s Valentine’s Day in the Bluegrass, and in the spirit of the season, let’s shine a spotlight on one Kentucky couple that found each other on the tennis courts of Hilary J. Boone Complex.
Growing up Ellie Eades always knew she wanted to attend college at the University of Kentucky, and when she got a tennis scholarship to play for UK, it was a dream come true.
When she got to campus, there was a sophomore from London, Ontario, who played for the men’s team named Josh Lapadat. She caught the eye of the men’s tennis up and comer, and he befriended Eades quickly.
“We were friends for nine months,” Lapadat said. “I liked her the whole time. But I don’t think it was reciprocated.”
At first, Eades was unsure about jumping into a relationship with someone she was such good friends with. The thought of losing Lapadat as a friend if the relationship did not work was not worth the risk, she said.
“We met my freshman year, and we were friends for a really long time before we even started dating,” Eades said.
Ellie was constantly teased by her teammates about potentially liking Josh, but when they caught her watching his matches on her laptop while they were at away their own matches, it was a tell-tale sign that her feelings for him were real.
“I’d be watching him on my laptop or something and the girls would be like, ‘You’re not dating. Yeah, right. Like you’re watching him all the time,’” Eades said.
In one ear, she had teammates playfully picking on her and Josh, and Lapadat in the other saying, “Come on, why not?”
After months of back and forth, the teasing died down and their relationship began to blossom. Without the persistent jokes from teammates, Eades felt more comfortable giving Lapadat a chance.
“I think it got to a point where my teammates at least stopped pressuring and asking as much, and we started hanging out more around then and it was easier,” Eades said.
Once the pressure was off, Eades and Lapadat began to hang out more and more, going to get food together until they were eventually in a full-on relationship. There was no official first date, according to the pair.
Now that they are dating and the jokes from teammates have stopped, Eades and Lapadat said their coaches gladly adopted the role of playful bully.
As the couple posed on the court for a photoshoot, coaches Diego Garavito and Matthew Gordon made sure to embarrass them. Shouts of “look at the cute couple” echoed throughout the tennis complex as the two snapped a few photos of their own, causing Eades to blush immediately.
The next step in the blossoming relationship was meeting each other’s families, which was easier for Lapadat. Eades has family nearby in Paris and Louisville, so soon enough, Lapadat was meeting her parents at dinner for her birthday just shortly into dating.
“We had a good dinner, which was like the first time I formally met them when we just started dating,” Lapadat said.
Eades has also met the Lapadat family, who occasionally drive down from Canada to watch some of his matches.
“They’ve met like a bunch of times,” Lapadat said. “And our parents have met each other too.”
With support from each family there was only one seal of approval left to receive, and arguably the toughest of them all — Bobear, Eades’ dog. Thankfully for Lapadat, Bobear has hardly met a stranger, and it did not take long for him to win him over.
“We (Bobear and I) hang out all the time,” Lapadat said. “He came over for a couple of sleepovers just me and him for some quality time together. And yeah, so he’s one of my best friends.”
Between playing Division I tennis and managing full course loads, Eades and Lapadat said they must prioritize spending time together, as it’s not always easy. Practice, class and matches prevent the pair from spending as much time together as they would like.
“Most of the time we’re not done with our days until six, seven o’clock every single day and then the next day starts at 8 a.m. so it’s pretty busy,” Eades said.
Learning how to navigate the balance between athletes and maintaining a healthy relationship is something Lapadat is still working on.
“I mean, it’s something that I feel like I’m trying to get better at because it depends on the schedule of the semester, but sometimes there’s no time during the day to hang out,” Lapadat added. “It’s hard though, because the days are very busy.”
During those busy days, the couple supports each other the best they can. When the women’s team plays at home and Lapadat is in town, he is always the first member of the men’s team in the bleachers and the last to leave.
Carving out time for each other is something they always try to do, the couple said, even if it is just for 30 minutes a day. That usually means spending some time on the court together.
“There are small things like sometimes she’ll come to me asking me if I can work with her on the court a little bit. Some small things like that,” Lapadat said.
In their time spent together as a couple, each has grown exponentially on the court. Lapadat was named captain and held an impressive 21-4 dual match record last season.
Meanwhile, Eades has worked her way up to play primarily on court two singles for the women’s team and held a 14-6 record with her doubles partner a season ago, showing that her time practicing with Lapadat has paid off.
When they play against each other, they don’t keep score against each other too often, but Eades claimed that she has beaten Lapadat once before.
“And I would say no,” Lapadat playfully added. “We disagree,” Eades quickly said through a smile.
Lapadat’s Valentine’s Day plans are full of secrets that he would not share in front of Eades, but she was quick to ensure that he knows the number one thing on her list is a heart-shaped tray from Chick-fil-A.
