A feat that many thought would be impossible, Club Penguin Army Judges has turned two years old. With this, judging within the community has been unified for two years.

Designed by Wynn

Club Penguin Army Judges was created on February 23rd 2022. Before the creation of CPAJ and Club Penguin Armies, there were multiple organisations in the community. Between 2020-2022, organisations like Club Penguin Army Hub and Club Penguin Army Network came and soon went. Despite the organisations not lasting long in comparison to Club Penguin Army Central, they caused a great divide. The divide not only saw armies separated by leagues but reporters and judges split too.

The divide between organisations and armies soon saw the need for unification. Many tried to unify leagues but this often failed, leading to further division. After a war with no judges was witnessed in late 2021, a major change was needed. After being a Head Judge in Club Penguin Army Headquarters, Head judges were contacted about the idea of unifying judges. Even before the war, the thought of unification was talked about amongst league admins. However, it never materialised. From here the wheels were set in motion as conversations started to be had between leagues in 2022.

Shortly after this, talks began with armies. Soon, everyone came together to further discuss the proposal. What began in DMs and group chats soon expanded into a server. Individuals from the leagues and armies of that time joined and started to discuss the judging unification proposal.

The unification proposal

Spotty remembers trying to organise the idea and proposal but not even her place as a Head Judge was secure. After much discussion about the system, amount of Head Judges and more, the Heads were chosen. Not all Head Judges from the leagues would be chosen but their fate would be in the hands of army leaders. Ultimately, Spotty, AustinFraud, Lightningmcj, Yvng and Popcorny were given the role and responsibility. Despite their formation being 2 years ago, 3 of these judges still hold the position today.

It was decided that the Head Judges would essentially be in charge of the organisation but leaders had the right to hire and fire them. Because of the lack of consistency from an army league and issues often arising within them, it was decided that CPAJ would act outside of any organisation. This meant that the admins of army leagues/media organisations, wouldn’t have power within the organisation unless they were a judge and chosen to be a HJ. However, communication between Head Judges and Admins was still important, especially regarding tournaments.

Club Penguin Army Network and Club Penguin Army Headquarters soon merged, creating a unified organisation. This organisation soon became Club Penguin Armies. Accordingly, CPAJ had to adjust its approach but it worked alongside them to ensure that battles ran smoothly.

Club Penguin Armies’ opening statement

Since then, the Judges have overcome adversity and remained stable, encouraging change for a positive future. In the Summer of 2023, a major overhaul was seen in the organisation. With time, came lessons learnt. This meant that there was a lot to consider for the future of judging. Henceforth, a new judging guideline was created. The guideline saw the revision of many rules alongside the clarification of others. In comparison to previous guidelines, it went into depth about how judges should perform their jobs. This not only informs the judges but army leaders too.

Some of the new rules included changes to the reviewing process, clear battle/judging guidelines and clarity regarding the usage of big word bubbles. Since these changes, CPAJ has judged many wars and battles. Fortunately, the changes have positively impacted how people judge a battle. It has also enabled armies to grow and become more creative with formations and tactics. However, the reviews are not always positive as wars often see conflicts over decisions. Yet, in comparison to the past, this has dramatically decreased.

Overall, the changes seem positive and CPAJ has stabilised since its creation. But how did CPAJ stabilise? Club Penguin Armies approached Spotty for an interview.

What were the components that led, and helped, you to build and maintain CPAJ?

Definitely it was my ambition to separate judges from leagues, as when I became a Head Judge in CPAH I experienced admins who had little to no judging experience be in-charge of judging and overrule Head Judges. Furthermore witnessing CPAN’s war of no judges was further proof that judges needed to be united under one roof to ensure battles aren’t cancelled. Both of these examples helped me in convincing leaders that the creation of CPAJ was a good idea, in addition to my 2 years experience (at the time) and the fact that I was completely unaffiliated. Since CPAJ’s creation having an activate team of HJs that get along has been absolutely vital. Currently our team we have has been one of the best teams I’ve ever worked in throughout my time in CPA, as we all work amazingly together. We also have dedicated judges who help us to ensure that we stick to our pledge of no cancelled battles due to lack of judges.

Has CPAJ exceeded your expectations in any way? If so, how?

Honestly 100%. When you create an organisation you always want it to succeed and be successful for years on end, but looking at past organisations in this community you don’t have much hope, especially as judges had never been separated before.

Therefore as we celebrate our second anniversary CPAJ has definitely smashed my expectations as it’s still as successful today as it was when it launched. Two years is a huge achievement, especially as the last time this community unified before CPAJ, in CPAH, the league only lasted a few months. CPAJ also pathed the way for the community to unite, making it easier for the community to create the CPA org.

Furthermore, it’s always easy to say “we won’t have any cancelled battles due to lack of judges” is easy to say, but I’m extremely proud that we were able to achieve such a statement.

At what point do you think CPA Judges truly stabilised and how?

I think once the leaders agreed for CPAJ to provide judges for tournaments the organisation properly started to stabilise as it proved it could successfully run such big events. Furthermore, key events such as a new guideline inputted by the community helped show everyone that they all had an equal say in the organisation and that their voice was just as important as a judge’s.

Do you have any regrets or things you wish you would’ve implemented earlier?

My only regret is that I wish I had created CPAJ earlier as maybe then wars wouldn’t have been cancelled, however that was a key part in convincing leaders that CPAJ was needed. Apart from that there isn’t anything I regret, as any issues happen for a reason and help make the organisation better.

What are your hopes for the future of CPA Judges? Do you have any plans currently?

To continue providing top quality judging for pbs, battles, wars, and tournaments, help with the launch of the new map, and ensuring that no battles are cancelled due to lack of judges. Furthermore, keep updating the guidelines when we receive feedback from the community, and encouraging the expansion of our judging team.

It seems like CPA Judges has exceeded Spotty’s expectations, and most likely the entire community’s expectations. As Spotty said, the fact that past organisations fell quite quickly left little hope for new ones. Yet, we are here, 2 years later and the judging system is still intact. Alongside this Club Penguin Armies remains stable, keeping the community united. As for the future of CPAJ, Spotty hopes for CPAJ to thrive. Hopefully, the organisation will continue and see many more anniversaries. Will CPAJ continue to be a success? Has the amount of wars burned out judges? We wish CPA Judges the best of luck in its future.

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