(Note this article has been migrated from the old site and is pending review and changes)

 

CSPO has grown wildly across the country since it's inception on December 2006.  As the organization has grown, we have adapted to that growth, however much of what has happened has been in the CSPO operational plan since before the organization was ever made public or a site online.

 

Due to the explosive growth we've acheived and also because of other simmilar-looking organizations out there online and on the ground, sometimes it isnt easy to understand exactly what CSPO actually is.

 

Whether you're a old-timer CSPO commanding officer, or a newcomer who hasn't registered yet, this fresh look at what CSPO is and where we are going is an excellent way to get a pulse on what the state of the CPSO is - and where we're going.

 

What exactly is CSPO?

 

CSPO is a national paintball team.  We are the biggest single team in Canada, possibly in North America or even worldwide. 

 

Being simply a member on the web doesn't automatically place you on the "CSPO team".  We call these members "web members".  To be on the CSPO team you actually have to be an active participant in a CSPO squad.  We have squads spanning across Canada, and if there is no local squad in your area, you can opt to become a recruiter and start one.

 

Isnt CSPO just a forum community website?

 

No.  This is a common misconception.  There are many websites that on the surface look not dissimilar to CSPO, they are merely community forum sites for people to share information on the web.  Some of the more well known are X7OG and A5OG and Milsim Empire.  These websites do not purport to be a paintball team nor a tightly knit group on the ground.  They are community sites mainly designed for the sharing of information amongst like-minded individuals

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The CSPO website and forum area serve three purposes for CSPO.  These are media and multimedia, the exchange of information for CSPO members, and recruiting.

 

We invite anyone and everyone to register on our website, share information with our members and participate in discussion.  This is the recruiting aspect of our website. 

 

We encourage our members to contribute and share information through the forums, the online magazine, downloads areas.  We also encourage vendors, field operators, and other businesses to plug their businesses on our market neutral website.  This is the media aspect of our website. 

 

Finally, we have private and public areas on our forums for member discussion.  This is the information exchange part of our website.

 

Fundamentally, the most important thing to remember when joining, posting, or commenting on CSPO is that this website is for the purpose of our paintball team, while it is public and everyone is encouraged to enlist and participate, that it is a private internet property and it is not a right nor privelige of the user to post.

 

Not all topics will be permitted for this reason.  Some of the most common topics that get edited or deleted from our website are: those who come here looking to recruit for an outside team or organization, those who are looking to compete with us on a regional or national scale to be the market woodsball tournament leader, or those who come here looking for speedball or tournament-ball talk.  Occasionally members get in hot water for getting to personal, too opinionated or too critical of the CSPO management.

 

However to understand all of this it is important to understand how the CSPO heiarchy works from a birds eye view.

 

Web members, members, and commissioned officers

 

CSPO works on a quasi-military type heiarchy and pecking order, but to zoom way out and slot them into three main types of members makes it easier to understand before we delve deeper.

 

A WEB MEMBER is someone who just came online and registered on the website, got a username, and started posting.  CSPO allows people to remain on the site as WEB MEMBERS only because this is a recruiting tool for our team.  We are always looking for new members for all of our squads and platoons across the country, and the easiest way for someone to dip their toe into the water is to become a web member, start participating on the website, and getting to know the members. 

 

It is often the web members who get into the most trouble here on CSPO.  Because web members are not squad members, they do not neccesarily feel responsibility to uphold the CSPO code of conduct and do not feel obligated to speak to their local squad leader and issue grievances up the Chain of Command.  This causes problems, usually along the lines of insubordination.  A web member who lips off a member or a commissioned officer higher up the chain of command will have the shortest rope of all membership types.

 

Like they say, it's easy to become a CSPO member - not so easy to stay one. 

 

Squad members

 

The squad member is the meat of CSPO.  These are the actual people who go to practices, discuss tactics, techniques, and training with their squad leader, fight the overal tactical battles at the big and small games, and are actively on the ground recruiting for and representing CSPO.

These members do feel allegiance to the Chain of Command and usually have no problem airing any greivaces they have to their squad leader who takes it up to the next level.  Squad members have a lot more rope than web-members only.    Most squad members sport a CSPO patch and CSPO rank patch.

 

The promotion path for a Squad member to the next level (Squad Leader) is to show their squad leader that they are effective at both recruiting and motivating their team.  The way to do this is to help grow the squad.  When a promotion comes available, those who are the most effective at the above become the replacement squad leaders.

 

Commissioned officers

 

The commissioned officer is someone who is currently in charge of a squad, platoon, section, or unit.  These people are the ones who call the shots in CSPO.  They have actively built up a squad, platoon, or unit, and are actively training CSPO squad members on the ground and motivating them to go to games.

 

It is the CO who is in charge of ensuring that the squad members are upholding the CSPO standard at the field and ensuring that members go to practice and go to games.

Often when decisions need to be made, it is the CO who is consulted.  They are expeted to have the pulse of those in their unit and represent them.

 

It is a common misconception online that every single member, web member, squad member, or commissioned officer should be thrashing everything out in public for all to see.  This "freedom of speech" and "transparency" argument holds no water.  Why should a web-only member who has never played a single CSPO game or recruited a single member have say in the direction that the organization is going?  We do have private officer class forum areas where we thrash out ideas of where we are going as an organization, and all CO's have access to this area.  Web members and rank-and-file squad members do not.

 

Etiquette on CSPO's site online

 

The easiest etiquette to follow on CSPO is this:  respect those who outrank you].  Following this simple guideline would probably have dropped our Dishonorable Discharge and ban rate to zero.  If someone outranks you, treat them with respect.  Insubordination is the single most common reason for a dishonorable discharge, ban, or having posts deleted and an admin warning issued.

 

The second easiest peice of etiquette to follow on CSPO would be: follow the chain of command.  If you have a greivance which you feel is legitimate, please contact your nearest squad leader, leiutenant, or captain and air your greivance privately.

 

Often they can inform you of what is going on behind to scenes to rectify your matter.  The reason this is recommended is that public discussions online can turn to negative drivel, trash talk, and go from being constructive to very non-constructive in a very short amount of time.  Having our team website plunge into negativity lowers troop morale and is counter to our objectives because it hurts our recruiting efforts.

 

So what exactly does CSPO do other than being a bunch of paintballers who play paintball?  What makes CSPO different from any other website?

 

CSPO as an organization hosts and schedules scenario paintball games across the country for general public consumption.  We also host training days for our new and existing membership, offer consultation and market research to vendors, retailers, and field operators, and act as a "players union" that actors and reactors in the scenario paintball market in Canada can use as a liason between the corporate interests of paintball and the interests of players.

 

We also offer all of our squads sponsorship opportunities - which is something that no other website or collective organization in scenario paintball offers anywhere in North America.

 

CSPO is a tight knit group of squad members, commanders, and organizers who follow the chain of command in order to form a tight, cohesive force on and off the paintball field as well as online.

CSPO has lobbied on behalf of our members to police and the courts in the case of what we feel to be unfair treatment of our members in regards to paintball and the law.  CSPO has also helped police units to track down and persecute criminals in the paintball world.

 

CSPO has all these ranks, until I read the above I didn't really know that they meant anything other than the number of posts that someone had made.  What is the role and responsibility of these ranks?

 

Now that we have given a simplified description of our rank structure of "web" "squad" and "officer" membership types, it is worthy of giving a more detailed description of what the roles, responsibilities, and next steps for each of the ranks is.

 

 

Recruit

 

The Recruit is a new web or squad member who just got into CSPO and registered on the website.  Of all of the members on CSPO, it is the recruits who are evaluated the most closely.  Recruits who step out of line, insubordinate, wage personal attacks or enter into controversial arguments may simply be dishonorabily discharged immediately and without warning.

 

The reason for this is that if a new member to CSPO sets the stage for their membership that they are not the type of person to uphold the CSPO standard online, means they are unlikely to uphold the CSPO standard on the field, and someone who comes onto our team website and posts personal attacks or controversial statements is highly unlikely to change their ways any time soon.  Not unlike someone introducing themselves to you and calling you a "dumb bastard" all in the same sentence.

The role of the recruit is to show a good character on and off the field, and continue to participate and continue this demonstration fo good character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The NCO Ranks

 

The ranks of Private through Sergeant on CSPO are the non recruit NCO ranks.

 

Web members are more carefully scrutinized than squad members, and it is from these ranks that the CO ranks of SSGT-R and higher are recruited from.  Those who show the best attitude online and on the field are usually those who are selected and accepted.

 

The role of the NCO ranks is to assist their CO in growing and maintaining their squad, to be the example rather than follow the example, and represent the CSPO standard on and off the paintball field.

 

 

The Staff Sergeant NCO

 

The NCO Staff Sergeant is a highly valued member online on CSPO, although they may not even be a squad member.  This rank is usually held by those who are knowledgeable and helpful on the CSPO website.

 

Like the other NCO ranks, their role is to be the example not follow the example, and to continue to show and follow the attitude and CSPO standard both on and off the field.

 

 

The Staff Sergeant, Recruitment

 

The SSGT-R is the frontline commander in CSPO and must possess leadership qualities in order not to burden their LT with the job of managing their squad for them.

 

The role of the SSGT-R is to organize the squad to get together for play, practice, and meetings on regular days, and to lead the squad to their specific objective issued by their midline commander on the field in big games. 

 

The SSGT-R is also responsible for constantly recruiting, pruning, and enforcing squad discipline, at times making cuts from the squad for various reasons (no show at practices, bad attitude at the field, cheating, not upholding the CSPO standard, etc).

 

Those who are POOR SSGT-R material are usually releived of squad leader duty and returned to their natural CSPO rank.  Those who prove themselves to be EXCELLENT SSGT-R material are usually promoted to the role of Leiutenant once their squad acheives and maintains a troop strength of larger than 15 members.

 

The job of the SSGT-R is also to liase between their squad members and LT in the case of orders being passed down the line or greivances being passed up the Chain of Command.

 

The SSGT-R is in charge of sponsorship cash earned by their squad and is responsible for consulting with the squad and choosing how to spend the money on the betterment of the squad.

SSGT-Rs who attempt to "splinter" or create their own group witin a group are usually cut immediately as they will make poor officer material.

 

 

The Staff Sergeant, Internet Outreach

 

The SSGT-I's role is not unlike the SSGT-R's role with reduced field responsibilities and increased online responsibilities.

 

The job of the SSGT-I is to network with other paintball groups online in order to enhance our recruiting efforts in locales with no CSPO representation.

 

The SSGT-I is usually constantly in the process of getting to know other teams and encouraging them to get involved in CSPO rather than being isolated islands unto themselves.

 

The SSGT-I will usually refer their recruits to the nearest LT or CPT who can then assist the new recruits in getting situated into a squad, building a platoon, or creating a section depending on their respective size.

 

 

Command Guard

 

The Command Guard is a special rank which is appointed by a CO of LT or higher rank.  Officers may have more than one Command Guard depending on their rank.  A LT may have a single Command Guard, a Captain may have two, and a General may have three.

 

The job of the CG is twofold:  Online, to back up and reiterate the commands of their commanding officer, on field to help the officer manage and maintain the group.  In game, the role of the CG is to stick with their commanding officer while they move from squad to squad or platoon to platoon as the officer gets a feeling for how tactics employed are working and gives field commands to squad or platoon commanders.

 

The CG role is somewhat like that of a special assistant and bodyguard combined into one.

 

 

Leiutenant

 

The Leiutenant or LT is the platoon commander in charge of several squads that make up the platoon.  The SSGT-Rs leading the squads report directly to the LT who then reports up the chain of command.

 

This is probably the most challenging role in the CPSO because of it's frontline nature as well as the paradigm shift in focus from being a squad leader.

 

The Squad leader is responsible for managing individual members in a team, organizing individual squad meets and practices.  The LT is responsible for managing the SSGT-Rs in more of a middle management role.

 

It is sometimes difficult for a SSGT-R moving to LT because they have the natural tendency to not let go of their squad leader role and overrule the squad leaders who replaced them.  All LTs have been SSGT-Rs before leading squads, so all LTs face the same challenges letting go of their former squads and letting the new SSGT-Rs take command.

 

However this paradigm shift is absolutely neccesary.  The role of the LT is to go out and recruit entire whole existing squads into CSPO, hit up new and exciting paintball fields, find new CSPO members, and scatter the seeds by recruiting SSGT-Rs and not individual squad members.

 

Sometimes the LT will bring the entire platoon with them in a show of force.  Sometimes the LT will go alone to a new field and recruit a few members to come and visit them at a more familliar field.

With the position of LT also comes some minor administrative duties - keeping up to date on what squads have members to add or remove, and ensuring that their SSGT-Rs are actively out there recruiting and managing their squads, and if not, replacing the squad leaders and training their replacements to do better than their predecessors.

 

 

Captain

 

The role of Captain in CSPO is a very important one.  No longer burdened by managing individual squad leaders, but rather now managing, evaluating, and training LTs the Captain is in chage of delivering the section on-task to the General's demands.

 

The Captain online has full webmaster priveleges and is capable of promoting or discharging members online depending on what side of the CSPO standard that they are on.  They may approve, reject, edit, or modify any post, event, or submission on the CSPO website.

 

The other role of the Captain is to assist the General in organizing local CSPO events for the unit.

Captains may have to recruit, discharge, demote and otherwise manage LTs.  It is very important that the platoons are managed by an active LT platoon leader, and it is the Captains job to keep on top of these midline commanders to ensure that they are doing their jobs.

 

 

[b]General[/b]

The General is the ultimate unit commander.  The performance of the unit both online and offline, on the field and off, is the ultimate responsibility of the General.

 

With the assistance of their Captains, they are responsible for managing the flow of content and the flow of CSPO events in the area and on the website by the members of their unit.

 

Working with the Captains, the General is in charge of spotting weaknesses in the overal Unit both for on field play as well as overall growth and fixing those weaknesses.

 

Through the Chain of Command, the General is the ultimate tiebreaker.  If a greivance reaches the General, this is the highest this greivance will go.

 

The General is ultimately responsible to the Cheif of Defense Staff for the unit's performance.

 

 

Regimental Sergeant Major

The role of the RSM is to be the ear to the ground for the CDS.  The RSM is in charge of ensuring that the squad leaders and their troops themselves are in proper fighting form and are loyal to their LTs or Platoon Commanders. 

 

SSGT-Rs effectively report ultimately to their LT or platoon commander; but the platoon commander may request that the RSM come and do specific training or inspections of their units.

 

The CDS may also dispatch the RSM to surprise inspect a squad in order to ensure that the CDS is getting the real story up the chain of command with regards to problematic units.  "Problematic reports" are as much a problem in paintball as they are in the military, and the RSM's job is to cut the crap and hit the ground and inspect the troops firsthand.

 

The RSM is usually referred to as RSM K2, with RSM preceeding their name.  The CSPO only has a single RSM per unit maximum.

 

 

Chief of Defense Staff

 

The CDS (referred to as the "Cheif") hold the job of managing all of the Generals, all of the

units, and holding the entire force together, and deterining what the national standards are.

 

The CDS is the ultimate responsibility.  The CDS may recruit, fire, discharge, commend or discipline any member of any stature including Generals for great performance or lack thereof.

 

The CDS is responsible for the overall growth and structure of the force.

 

So where is CSPO going?

 

Pre-recession CSPO peaked at about 1200 active members.  The weak economy of 2008-2011 has eroded our base as it was very expensive to be a regular playing gun owner.  In 2011 we also experienced a critical website failure, which led us to set up this state of the art new engine for CSPO.

 

We are currently working to rebuild squads across Canada, and to continue to hold our Hired Guns series of cash tournaments.

 

How do I get more involved?

 

The best way to get involved is to join your local squad, and if there are no local squads, contact your nearest Platoon Leader (LT) and inquire about starting one.  From the rank of SSGT-R there is nowhere to go but up if you perform.

 

Leadership is something people learn, you are not born with it.  It takes some work and can bring tremendous challenges, but it is a skill that you will use throughout your life.

 

Paintball is a fun sport for recreational purposes, but that doesn't mean that you can come away from the field learning valuable skills of leadership, teamwork, and committment that you will be able to use in all aspects of your life.

 

Paintball and CSPO is also a great way to meet new friends in your area.

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I hope you have found this article informative and helpful.

Yours very truly,

CDS Mr-Canada.