String League Judges
League Officials
Dustin Dohm
Founder, Stylin Strings
Dustin Dohm is the founder and creative director of Stylin' Strings Inc. & String League. It started in Baltimore as an art major in his college apartment in 1999 where he met Van O'Banion. They wrote for e-lacrosse.com the original source for custom lacrosse stick content, inventing pockets like the hybrid traditional Mesh-X and the "Coils". For years they have paved the way for the modern day custom lacrosse niche. Dustin also runs S/S Creative Studio that handles all the brand management for SSLax, as well as Stylin Strings Apparel a full custom sublimated apparel and lifestyle brand. Dustin has been the behind the scenes mind of Stylin Strings and the concept creator of String League since before social media was big enough to support it.
Conner Wilson
Owner, Lacrosse Allstars
Connor Wilson is the Publisher for LaxAllStars.com. LaxAllStars' mission is to Grow The Game, and they cover all aspects of the sport in a unique and authentic way. Connor coaches lacrosse, strings heads, and is generally involved with the game however possible. Connor played lacrosse and football at Wesleyan University, where he learned a lot, but mostly that he was not good at football.
Season Judges
Hiana Thompson
Athlete, Nike Lacrosse
I just hope people remember me as a lacrosse player, because lacrosse is pretty much everything to me. Jerome “Hiana” ThompsonPart of the first family of lacrosse, Thompson’s road to the professional ranks has taken dedication, patience and an unwavering belief in his destiny. After being named National Junior College Player of the year, he entered the draft. First drafted in the 2011 National Lacrosse League draft, along with his older brother Jeremy, Jerome Thompson didn’t make a squad that year. In fact, it took four long years after being drafted to make a NLL roster, but Thompson never stopped working and training and waiting for his chance. In 2015, he captured a regular spot on the Buffalo Bandits. Jerome Thompson currently plays professional lacrosse for the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. He is the brother of fellow NLL players Jeremey Thompson, Lyle Thompson and Miles Thompson. Jerome has also played for the St. Regis Braves, Six Nation Arrows, Onondaga Redhawks, and the Iroquois Nationals.
Miles Jones
Athlete, Adidas Lacrosse
Three-time All-American, including two-time first team selection … Arguably the best midfielder to wear a Duke jersey … Two-time L.T. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Award winner as the nation’s top midfielder … Two-time Tewaaraton Award Finalist … 2016 ACC Offensive Player of the Year … One of 11 Blue Devils to earn All-ACC honors three times in his career … Owns the Duke midfield record for career and single-season points with 231 and 77 … Ranks seventh at Duke in career points, 12th in career goals (126) and fifth in career assists (105) … His 231 career points are the second most by a midfielder in NCAA Division I history … First midfielder in NCAA history to record 100 career goals and 100 career assists … Owns two of the top 20 single-season points and assists totals in Duke history … One of three Blue Devil midfielders and 23 in NCAA history to score 40 goals in a season. First overall draft pick in the 2016 MLL draft.
Greg Kenneally
Founder, East Coast Dyes
Greg Kenneally is the co-founder and president of ECD. He built it with his brother from their basement to over 30 employees in a 20,000sq foot warehouse. Greg began stringing in middle school where he strung and re-strung his stick everyday on the bus. That continued through college where he was the team stringer at Elizabethtown college, a small D3 school in Pennsylvania. After graduating he launched a stringing and mesh business that grew into ECD as you know it today. Now, he focuses on producing daily stringing and lacrosse content for their social pages and works on developing the next best lacrosse products.
Joe Williams
Founder, Throne Lacrosse
Joe Williams is the founder and principal of Throne Lacrosse, aka Throne of String, in Brooklyn, NY. Throne is the premier lacrosse stringing provider, offering a full range of innovative stringing products. Joe graduated summa cum laude from Parsons School of Design in New York City, with a degree in fine arts and a minor in graphic design. During his years at Parson's, Joe's talents were commended with multiple awards and scholarships. As testament to his high level of ability as a quality stringer, Joe has won several competitions; most recently the Interlock Challenge by TLN/Nike/Thompson Brothers. As an active box lacrosse player, Joe has participated in elite-level tournaments in several countries. When not at work or playing lacrosse, Joe enjoys hockey and riding his vintage BMW motorcycle.
Tyler Bortner
Pocket Engineer, Stylin Strings LAX
Tyler Bortner started at the bottom of the food chain at Stylin Strings as a stringer when he was in high school. As a lacrosse player at York College Tyler developed into one of the best lacrosse pocket engineers Stylin Strings had. He was hired full time and was a lead on projects that include UVA, Notre Dame, and the Women's USA team. Tyler still consults for Stylin' Strings while pursuing a career in finance.
Kyle Devitte
IL Gear Editor, Inside Lacrosse
Kyle Devitte has been the Inside Lacrosse gear and lifestyle editor for three years. Prior to joining the staff, Kyle had a 12-year NCAA coaching career at several schools throughout New England. A New Hampshire resident, Devitte played high school lacrosse at John Stark and Tilton prep. He went on to play college lacrosse at Saint Michael’s College and Clark University, where he studied English Literature and Film. Though he is well- known for his tactical analysis and biting criticism, Devitte is an avid stick stinger, gear nerd and sneaker head. Twitter: @TheKyleDevitte Instagram: @TheKyleDevitte
Kyle Harrison
Athlete, STX
Born in Baltimore, Maryland. Graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2005 having been a 3x All-American, Midfielder of the Year, Tewaaraton award winner, and helped to win the 2005 Division 1 National Championship. Since graduating, Kyle was drafted first in the 2005 MLL Draft by the NJ Pride, starred in the LXM PRO Tour, was selected to play for the U.S. National Team twice in 2006 and 2014 to compete in the FIL Championship, 4x MLL All-Star, and currently Captains the Ohio Machine.
Guest Judges
Zach Depalmer
Stringer, Barefoot Lacrosse
Coach, player, stringer, dyer all around lover of the game of lacrosse. Player of 12+ years before deciding to try my hand in the industry. I currently own Barefoot Lacrosse where I am continually pushing the boundaries of what I can do. Stringing and dyeing for 10+ years and coaching for 5+years. I love doing all these things but stringing will always remain my favorite way to connect with people. Ive strung for wide range of people from pros to youth but nothing is more rewarding than being able to help the future of the sport. Currently working on ways to improve my content both with Instagram and YouTube.
Travis Sandin
Stringer, RedBeardLacrosse
I am the owner/operator of RedBeard Lacrosse, entertaining and educating the lacrosse community on YouTube and Instagram. I was introduced to lacrosse 15 years ago in my home state of NJ. I taught myself how to string at the age of 13 and now I can’t seem to stop. You can still catch me on the floor as the goaltender for the Outlaws in the Philadelphia Box Lacrosse Association.
Robin Brown
Stringer, Laxtractive
Robin played lacrosse for a decade before being hired at a local lacrosse shop and learning how to string in her senior year at San Diego State University. After seeing her coworker/stringing mentor posting her beautiful work on Instagram (@stringtheory), Robin created her own Instagram, @laxtractive, to track her progress and learn from other stringers. Now, three years later, she continues to string all types of pockets but concentrates on stringing women’s pockets for players across the country and even outside of it. Currently she is building her YouTube channel with tutorials in hopes to get more players stringing.
Riley Martin
Stringer, High Strung Lacrosse
Rilley first became passionate about stringing lacrosse heads when he was first introduced to the idea by a teammate who helped him fix his first stick. Soon after, he took to learning the trade and has since created his own small company and formed numerous ties within the community while forming a base of loyal customers. He loves the personalization of lacrosse and enjoys sharing that love with everyone he works with. With 7 years of stringing experience, Riley looks forward to every head he strings with the challenge to make it right for each player and help them to play to their greatest potential. Currently a senior at St. Paul's School in Baltimore, MD, Riley will be attending Georgia Tech in the fall to pursue a degree in Engineering, he hopes to apply what he learns back to lacrosse and help to grow the community that has made him who he is today.
Justin Skaggs
Founder, Wood Lacrosse Sticks
Justin Skaggs was the lead producer for the first two seasons of String League. In the past, Skaggs has had the honor of stringing sticks for Major League Lacrosse, The University of Notre Dame, The University of Virginia, and many others. He was an owner and the Director of Lacrosse at Stylin Strings for many years, where he invented various stringing methods and products. Skaggs left SSLax in Oct 2016 to follow his passion for traditional stick making. WoodLacrosseSticks.com aims to spread the tradition of the game by making its roots more accessible by offering a platform for artists to share their crafts with the world.
Chris Wilson
Stringer, @lacrosseman
From Manchester, England, Chris Wilson, the winner of String League Season 1, has been taking the stringing world by storm! With over 20 years’ stringing experience, Chris has a wealth of knowledge and has produced some crazy pockets over the years. Chris strings both traditional leather and mesh pockets for players of all abilities (from beginners to national team players) throughout Europe. Working closely with Northern Soul Sportswear and a range of manufacturers, stringers and dyers, Chris continues to impress with his original content, collaborations and lacrosse stick wizardry!Being part of String League Season 1 was a fantastic experience, with each week pushing the boundaries of stringing in different directions, from classic traditional pockets to those using household materials! The competition is based on a range of skills, not just technical experience; thinking outside the box, creativity, video skills and plenty of wall ball all have to feature – this is what I’m looking for from you in String League Season 3!!
