Welcome to the seventeenth edition of Leaving a Legacy, a column created to highlight people’s legacies in the Army community. In this edition, we will be taking a look at something different! In this edition, we will be covering Spotty’s legacy with the Club Penguin Army Judges.
Designed by MasterDS
Spotty began her journey into armies in 2018, enlisting in the Help Force. Spotty found the Help Force before they were considered an army, through Club Penguin Online. She quickly ranked up to the leader. Under her leadership, HF won many tournaments, the first one being the Summer Bash trophy. Spotty helped lead the army to record-breaking maxes of its time. Post Club Penguin Online closure, the army struggled with the change to Club Penguin Rewritten. The challenge did not stop Spotty from wanting to help the army. This dedication is what led to her achieving legend status within Help Force. Unfortunately, she was couped from her position in 2020 following controversies, which led to her hiatus within the community.
Summer Bash finals against the Pirates
When Spotty returned from her hiatus, she enlisted in the Dark Warriors. She earned a promotion to leader within two months. She showed dedication to help regrow the Dark Warriors AUSIA division, and also waged a war between the Doritos and Water Vikings. Spotty left DW leadership in December 2020. Following the close of the Dark Warriors, she explored other armies like the Elites and the Army of Club Penguin.
The History of Judges
At the time, there was no unified, community-wide independent judging organization. Instead, judging was operated by leagues, most notably Club Penguin Army Network and Club Penguin Army Headquarters. Because judging was tied to league structures rather than a neutral body, this led to frequent misunderstandings, disputes over rulings, accusations of bias, and growing frustration among army leaders and the wider community.
As the community navigated instability following the shutdown of Adobe Flash and the resulting uncertainty surrounding private servers, league structures became increasingly fragile. By the time March Madness 2021 arrived, concerns about judging legitimacy, consistency, and neutrality had become especially prominent. While judges still existed, there was a growing lack of trust in league-run systems.
In response, community leaders and judges began advocating for a separate, independent judging organization that would operate independently from any league. These discussions continued throughout late 2021, particularly following Legends Cup XI, where an independent board of army leaders took control of the tournament. This resulted in the creation of an independent judging system for LC, which then further carried on to Christmas Chaos XI and AUSIA Arena.
Additionally, AUSIA Arena saw the introduction of United Media, a mix of both CPAN and CPAHQ, writing about the ongoing tournament, further paving the way for unification.
These efforts ultimately resulted in the creation of the Club Penguin Army Judges in February 2022, establishing the first unified, independent judging body in the community to ensure consistency, neutrality, and long-term stability.
The original group chat made by Spotty
Official CPAJ announcement in CPAHQ
Official CPAJ announcement in CPAN
Spotty’s Role in CPAJ
Spotty was one of the main advocates for an independent judging organization for all leagues. In the midst of drama, Spotty formed a group chat amongst her peers to discuss the topic of creating an independent body. Spotty and her peers did not enjoy the constant misunderstanding between the leagues. These talks eventually led to CPAJ opening, with Spotty alongside Yvng, Lightningmcj, AustinFraud, and Popcorny, all former head judges from the previous leagues, being voted in by army leaders.
Out of the original five, only she and Yvng remain. Her role in CPAJ has been very prominent since its opening. She was recognized as Best Head Judge during the Summer Awards of 2022. Most recently, CPAJ has celebrated its third year as an independent body.
Club Penguin Armies has reached out to Spotty to get more information about judging from her perspective.
In 2020, what was your initial reaction to becoming a Head Judge in CPAH?
I wasn’t expecting it as it was my first major role within the army community that wasn’t leader. I was also super keen to revamp judging and to keep it alive as a system that everyone can rely on and use.
How do you handle the pressure that comes alongside your role in a high-profile organization like CPAJ?
You need to be able to look at everything in a neutral position from both perspectives and be able to defuse heated situations as they are common regarding battles due to armies being rightfully passionate. Being professional and prepared for lash-back is also key in ensuring everything runs smoothly, and if there any errors being able to promptly correct them.
What advice would you like to give to anyone who is looking to pursue judging within the community?
If you would like to become more confident within the community I would definitely recommend it. Becoming a judge gives you more of an insight in how to be a successful army leader in battles, it also makes people aware of who you are within this community and gives you the chance to make not only a name for yourself but also make great friends whilst learning.
The legacy of Spotty within the Judging department will never be forgotten, and the amount of effort she has put into the community will always be recognized by many. What do you think about the legacy Spotty has left? Do you think you could handle a position like hers?
Lydia
Reporter