By Jackson O’Keefe

On July 18, I contacted a lacrosse company that sells equipment such as lacrosse heads and shafts. They had previously gotten one of my Next Level Lacrosse club teammates, Bullis School senior and future Bucknell men’s lacrosse team member Alexander Latchford, to test their new products. After a great review from Latchford, he told them about my interest in their products, and we began a conversation. They sent me a custom head to my liking, their most popular product: The Discovery Head. 

Re-Lax Sports Co. is an eco-friendly company that specializes in lacrosse equipment. Their products are made entirely from recycled materials, which has yet to be done in the lacrosse community. One of the world’s best Professional Lacrosse League (PLL) goalies, Adam Ghitelman, co-founded it. Typically, brands try to find the best plastics for their head, but this can lead to many environmental issues after heads and other equipment are disposed of. Their mission is to “inspire environmental and economic sustainability in the lacrosse world.”

My custom-dyed Discovery. Photo credit: Jackson O’Keefe.

A player lacrosse head is unique; no two heads are the same, and the intricacy of the head design allows for complete pocket and string job customization. The perfect pocket differs for each player and takes time to find. Throughout my lacrosse career, I have explored many different brands and types of lacrosse heads and experimented with varying string patterns. Like most lacrosse players, I am very particular about my stick; I want it to be strung a specific way and have a distinct feel.

Many massive powerhouse lacrosse companies, such as East Coast Dyes and StringKing, have had years of experience, marketing exposure, and different prototypes. At the same time, Re-Lax Sports Co. has only recently started getting into the business. Although they are new, the company has much potential and room for growth, making significant strides in sustainable manufacturing. 

Although Ghitelman is a goalkeeper, the Discovery Head primarily focuses on on-field play, primarily with an offensive edge. It could be used by a long-stick or short-stick defensive midfielder or defender looking to impact a transition offense, or by an offensive midfielder or attackman. 

Re-Lax Sports Co. offers its products at prices that are traditionally lower than the standard head made by top-name brands on the market. This is due to the fact that they are a smaller company and focused on the growth of the game. I have had the pleasure of using this stick, and it will definitely be my weapon of choice in the upcoming spring lacrosse season.

I first received the head to try out and give feedback in September. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the head, having never seen anything like it. Once I made slight adjustments to the stringing, I instantly fell in love with the stick. The unique shape with the “shift-throat” concept was designed to allow the maximum head offset within the rules, while increasing feel, ball retention, and control. In high school lacrosse, a player’s head must be a minimum of 3 inches wide at the throat, and the widest point of the head must be at least 6 inches wide and within 3.5-4 inches wide at the midpoint. The extra 5 mm of pocket depth and offset offered by their signature head allow a genuinely noticeable increase in ball control.

New Clear Discovery model. Photo credit: ReLax Sports Co.

Latchford recently made a full-time switch to using his custom Discovery and has thoroughly enjoyed his playing experience thus far. He said, “The Discovery head has become my head of choice due to the amazing stability and the unbelievable customer service from the company, which sends me heads whenever I am in need and strings them up to perfection.”

An average store product rating of 4.8 shows the great quality of the product and the care that goes into each head. Many people have left great reviews online, such as Paul D., who had this to say, “​​Phenomenal company. It is an amazing path to growing the game & helping the environment. The dye job & string was exceptional. Will be my new consistent game head. Might need to pick up a backup one soon.”

Featured image credit: Re-Lax Sports Co. via facebook.