Ice Warriors creator and leader, Iceyfeet1234, has officially announced his final retirement from the leadership. We speak exclusively to him to find out more about his seasoned career, as well as his plans for the future.
The Ice Warriors were created in June 2007 by Iceyfeet1234, and he has had a large presence within the army ever since. Over the past 15 years, Iceyfeet has guided the Ice Warriors into becoming one of the largest armies of all time. Under his most recent leadership, the Ice Warriors have managed to maintain a top-five ranking within the Top Ten Armies rankings.
Iceyfeet’s first leadership tenure was from 2007 through 2012. During this period, the Ice Warriors held a dominant position. They won the Legend’s Cup twice and have had successful runs in other tournaments such as Christmas Chaos and March Madness. He won many awards, including Army Legend, Best Leader of All Time (CPAC), The Second Most Influential Leader of All Time, Best Major Army Leader, and Most Achieved. The Ice Warriors finished first on the Top Ten many times and were selected as the third-best army of all time in 2017.
Ice Warriors during original Club Penguin.
Iceyfeet made his return to the army during Spring 2020 and immediately helped the army grow. Under his leadership, the Ice Warriors maxed 100+ multiple times and maxed 165+ during March Madness 2020. He helped found the Black Ice Alliance, which was formed alongside the Dark Warriors and Rebel Penguin Federation. Iceyfeet has guided his army across multiple CPPSes which has been an advantage to help the consistency within the army. His last event is scheduled for August 8th, 2022.
Ice Warriors maxing 100+ in July 2020
Club Penguin Armies reached out to Iceyfeet1234 for an interview regarding his retirement and future plans.
What is your proudest accomplishment you’ve had in Ice Warriors?
I don’t think I can pinpoint one specific accomplishment that is my proudest. I’ve been a leader of the army for quite some time, so there have been several moments that stick out in my head. From tournament wins to world war victories, to reaching new peaks both on the original Club Penguin and the new CPPS versions, I am greatly proud of the many accomplishments that the Ice Warriors have achieved.
What was your biggest challenge leading Ice Warriors, and how did you overcome it?
Like the previous question, I can’t pinpoint the “biggest” challenge while leading IW. However, I would say the most significant challenges overall are: 1. Learning how to work with and lead with different types of people. When you stick around for a long time and see leaders come and go, you learn SO MUCH about how differently people operate/lead, and adjusting to this over and over again throughout the years is a bit of a challenge, however, it is a life long lesson that I am glad I was able to experience. And 2. Moving the army to new platforms. IW was the army that moved around the most out of any army during the CPPS era, and this has been quite a tiring challenge over the past 2+ years. But at this point in time, we have a pretty good rhythm down on moving an entire army from one platform to the next.
What has the experience been like leading with so many different leaders in different eras?
Honestly, the best way to describe the experience is crazy! Leading with so many different leaders and different types of leaders has shown me a vast variety of different ways to lead an army. Not to mention the different Staff/HCOM teams I have had over the years, hundreds of people with different techniques/strategies/knowledge. Overall it is a unique experience that I don’t believe can ever be replicated.
What was a valuable lesson you learned while leading?
The most valuable lesson I learned over the years was the overall learning experience of literally everything. Although we are all here to have fun, we don’t realize how much we learn along the way, from communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, writing skills, and many more. In my opinion, learning so many different kinds of skills while leading is hands down one of the most valuable life-long lessons we can gain while taking part in CP armies.
What are you planning on doing after retirement?
For the next month or so my activity will be pretty similar to what it is now while I am advising the current leaders of the Ice Warriors to ensure things continue to run post-departure. After that, I won’t be around as much, but I’ll still help around the community for things like tournaments (color wars cough cough), legend inductions, and anywhere else I am asked to help.
What advice do you have for those hoping to become an army leader one day?
I would say that when the day comes and you become a leader, just remember that the point is to have fun! Obviously, there are going to be stressful and difficult times along the way, but if you remember that the ultimate goal is to have fun, then you’ll do just fine as a leader of an army.
With the retirement of Iceyfeet1234 from his creation, the Ice Warriors will certainly feel the effect without him. The army community will have their eyes on the Ice Warriors to see if they will still be able to maintain a top position without their creator. Will the Ice Warriors still be able to maintain their dominancy with the departing of Iceyfeet1234?