I believe that public forum was designed to have a "john or sally doe" off the street come in and be a judge.  That means that speaking clearly is absolutely essential.  If I cannot understand you, I cannot weigh what you say.  I also believe that clarity is important.  Finally, I am a firm believer in decorum, that is, showing respect to your opponent.  In this age of political polarization and uncompromising politics, I believe listening to your opponent and showing a willingness to give credence to your opponents arguments is one of the best lessons of public forum debate.

I am currently a senior in high school and this is my fourth year in Public Forum debate. I try to judge as I would want a judge to in my own personal round. With that being said, I'm judging on how well your arguments flow and the strength of them throughout. I try to judge completely unbiased, so during the debate, I will judge based only on the things I hear in that round. Therefore, if there is some sort of evidence or an argument you want me to know that needs to be said to me. Above all, I do ask that you keep good decorum, there is no need to be rude as it doesn't help your argument.

I'm looking forward to judging some good debates, good luck!

Hi,

Here are my expectations/paradigm for the round. 

- Running obscure arguments on your opponents might seem super cool, but showing probability and a clear link chain will probably have a better chance of winning.

- Second rebuttal needs to address turns from first rebuttal, otherwise your rebuttal is a little too late. 

- First summary doesn't need to extend defense unless you think its absolutely necessary for whatever reason. 

- You need to extend BOTH the warrant AND impact of your argument(s) in later speeches if you're serious about finessing my ballot.

- I'm all for taking control of CX/the round but if you are abusive/disrespectful in doing so it will reflect poorly on the ballot. Treat you opponents like human beings and we'll all have a good time. 

-In terms of speed if your flow and delivery is hot and clear I'm writing it down. If you wanna be Speed Racer go ahead as long as you feel a reasonable person can still understand you. 

-Use author qualifications when first citing a piece of evidence (for extensions later on last name will suffice).

-Tate 

Hello Everyone! My name is Beth Fowler and I am an historian and Senior Lecturer at Wayne State University. I am looking for clear, concise contentions supported by solid and specific pieces of credible evidence that builds to a persuadable argument. I also want debaters to listen carefully to their opponents arguments, and to be able to address them clearly rather than simply reiterating their own points. Use the cross-examination to ask probing questions about opponents’ evidence and arguments, and the summation to clearly explain how the argument your team built is more persuasive than your opponents’ argument.

EXT. VALLEY -- DAY A MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR treks across the rugged landscape. NARRATOR (V.O.) Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose Kung Fu skills were the stuff of legend. The warrior, his identity hidden beneath his flowing robe and wide-brimmed hat, gnaws on a staff of bamboo. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) He traveled the land in search of worthy foes. CUT TO: INT. BAR The warrior sits at a table drinking tea and gnawing on his bamboo. The door BLASTS open. The MANCHU GANG rushes in and surrounds him. GANG BOSS (to warrior) I see you like to CHEW! (beat) Maybe you should chew on my FIST!! The Boss punches the table. NARRATOR (V.O.) The warrior said nothing for his mouth was full. Then, he swallowed. He swallows. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) And then, he spoke. WARRIOR (dubbed hero voice) Enough talk. Let's FIGHT! SHASHABOOEY! WHAM! The warrior delivers a punch and the whole gang goes flying. NARRATOR (V.O.) He was so deadly in fact that his enemies would go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness. 2. The gang members blindly flail about. NINJA CAT MY EYES! GATOR HE'S TOO AWESOME! ONLOOKERS swoon. SMITTEN BUNNY And ATTRACTIVE! GRATEFUL BUNNY How can we repay you?? WARRIOR There is no charge for awesomeness, or attractiveness. ONE HUNDRED ASSASSINS appear and surround the warrior. CUT TO: EXT. BAR - CONTINUOUS The entire bar swells, packed to the rafters with ninjas. WARRIOR KABLOOEY! CUT TO: EXT. BAR - CONTINUOUS The roof EXPLODES and a cloud of ninjas erupts into the sky. Like a tornado, the warrior spins and knocks them all down. NARRATOR (V.O.) It mattered not how many foes he faced. They were no match for his bodacity. The warrior beats up a thousand ninjas, delivering his final blow while doing a split between two trees. The warrior stands amongst a field of vanquished foes as god- rays shine down upon him. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) Never before had a panda been so feared... and so loved. (MORE) 3. NARRATOR (V.O.) (CONT'D) Even the most heroic heroes in all of China, the Furious Five, bowed in respect to this great master. MONKEY We should hang out. WARRIOR Agreed. As the Five salute the warrior, he turns to see more bandits approaching. The Five strike an attack pose. The warrior brandishes a shiny green sword and leaps off the mountain into the sea of bandits. NARRATOR (V.O.) But hanging out would have to wait. `Cause when you're facing the ten thousand demons of Demon Mountain, there's only one thing that matters. And that's-- In mid air, the Five talk to the warrior in a strange voice. MONKEY Po! Get up! TIGRESS You'll be late for work! PO Whu? INT. PO'S ROOM - DAY Po lands hard on the floor. He tries to clear his head and wake up. PO'S DAD (O.S.) Po! Get up! We see his room is filled with various kung fu posters (including a poster featuring all of the Five) and souvenirs, and a wooden version of the Sword of Heroes (the green sword). Po SIGHS. He attempts to kick himself to his feet but alas, his belly is too worthy a foe. PO'S DAD (O.S.) (CONT'D) Po! What are you doing up there? 4. PO Uh, nothing! Po hops to his feet, imitating his Kung Fu action figures. PO (CONT'D) Monkey! Mantis! Crane! Viper! Tigress! Rowrrrr... OUTSIDE on the balcony of the neighboring house, a pig watering flowers stares at Po. Po tries to play it cool and then quickly ducks out of sight. PO'S DAD (O.S.) Po! Let's go! You're late for work! PO Coming! He takes a ninja star from his floor and chucks it at the wall. It bounces off. He throws the star again, but it bounces off again. He picks it up and heads downstairs. He trips and falls the rest of the way. INT. KITCHEN - DAY Po falls flat on his face on the kitchen floor. A panda- shaped shadow looms over Po. PO Sorry, Dad. PO'S DAD Sorry doesn't make the noodles. Reveal that the shadow is actually caused by a basket being carried by a small DUCK. This is PO'S DAD. Po gets to work, which is not easy since the kitchen's not really made for a panda his size. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) What were you doing up there? All that noise. PO Oh, nothing. Just had a crazy dream. He gets back to work. 5. PO'S DAD About what? PO Huh? PO'S DAD The dream. What were you dreaming about? PO What was I... eh, I was dreaming about uh... heh... Push in on Po -- is he going to admit his dream? He hides his throwing star behind his back. PO (CONT'D) Noodles. THOK. Dad stops chopping vegetables. PO'S DAD Noodles. You were really dreaming about noodles? PO Uh, yeah. What else would I be dreaming about? Po hands a noodle bowl to a customer, then realizes his throwing star is sitting in it. PO (CONT'D) (to customer) Careful, that soup is... sharp! PO'S DAD Oh, happy day! My son, finally having the noodle dream! He throws his arms around Po. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) You don't know how long I have been waiting for this moment. When Dad pulls out of the hug, Po is now wearing a noodle apron. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) This is a sign, Po! 6. Po looks at the apron nervously -- what has he gotten himself into? PO Uh...a sign of what? PO'S DAD You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my "Secret Ingredient Soup." And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant, just as I took it over from my father, who took it over from his father, who won it from a friend in a game of mahjong. PO Dad Dad Dad, it was just a dream. PO'S DAD No, it was the dream. We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins. PO But Dad, didn't you ever, I dunno, want to do something else? Something besides noodles? PO'S DAD Actually... Po looks surprised. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) When I was young and crazy... Dad gets a wistful look in his eyes. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) I thought about running away and learning how to make tofu. PO So why didn't you?! PO'S DAD Oh, because it was a stupid dream. Can you imagine, me making tofu? (laughs at the thought) No. We all have our place in this world. Mine is here. And yours is-- 7. PO I know. Is here. PO'S DAD No, it's at tables two, five, seven, and twelve. He loads Po's arms with bowls of soup. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) Service with a smile! A GONG sounds in the distance. Po looks out the window at the distant JADE PALACE. EXT. JADE PALACE - DAY SLAM ZOOM in towards Palace. End next to palace on an old red panda (SHIFU) playing a FLUTE. He is surrounded by the bushes and trees that nestle between the Palace buildings. Wider: We dolly around from behind the bushes. Stealthy dark shapes move in the foreground. Back on Shifu, still playing. He seems oblivious. Five figures explode from the undergrowth simultaneously, diving on Shifu. Shifu moves like lightning - the flute now wielded like a staff - he deflects, blocks, dodges, parries - the attackers go flying - They roll and pick themselves up, turning to face Shifu, who is now standing - poised - ready for their next move. SHIFU Well done, students... if you were trying to disappoint me. He uses his flute to correct the Five's technique. SHIFU (CONT'D) Tigress, you need more ferocity. Monkey, greater speed. Each of the Five bows respectfully as their name is mentioned. 8. SHIFU (CONT'D) Crane - height. Viper - subtlety. Mantis-- Shifu suddenly points the flute at a scared PALACE GOOSE. ZENG Master Shifu! SHIFU (impatiently) What?! ZENG (startled) Aah! It's Master Oogway. He wants to see you. Shifu looks up, concerned. INT. HALLWAY Shifu strides purposefully down the hallway, which is lined with palace geese. INT. SCROLL ROOM - DAY Candles, incense, and smoke fill the room. The door bursts open, the candles flicker. Shifu enters. SHIFU Master Oogway? You summoned me. He bows. Then looks up without unbowing. SHIFU (CONT'D) Is something wrong? Reveal Master Oogway... a wise, old tortoise. OOGWAY Why must something be wrong for me to want to see my old friend? SHIFU So... nothing's wrong? OOGWAY Well, I didn't say that. Shifu looks up, concerned. Oogway opens his mouth... and blows out a candle. And another candle. And another. 9. Finally, Shifu uses his Kung Fu to blow them all out. Oogway smiles knowingly. SHIFU You were saying? OOGWAY I have had a vision... Tai Lung will return. Shifu looks stricken. FLASHBACK - INT. SCROLL ROOM Quick, impressionistic images of Shifu battling a large, shadowy figure (Tai Lung). PRESENT - INT. SCROLL ROOM Shifu is rattled. He looks at the claw marks that still scar the wall and quickly looks away. But he regains his composure. SHIFU That is impossible. He is in prison. OOGWAY Nothing is impossible. Shifu makes a split decision. SHIFU Zeng! He comes flying in. Shifu gets in his face. SHIFU (CONT'D) Fly to Chogun Prison and tell them to double the guards, double their weapons. Double everything! Tai Lung does not leave that prison! ZENG Yes, Master Shifu. The goose flies off, but... SMACK! He hits a column. Then he is off. Back on Oogway, as he walks toward camera, away from Shifu. 10. OOGWAY One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it. SHIFU We have to do something. We can't just let him march on the valley, and take his revenge! He'll, he'll-- Oogway looks into the water of the moon pool. OOGWAY Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear. Shifu and Oogway stare into the pool. Oogway settles the water, revealing the reflection of an intricately carved dragon clutching a SCROLL in its mouth. SHIFU The Dragon Scroll... OOGWAY It is time. SHIFU But who? Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? To become...the Dragon Warrior?! Dramatic music as we push in on Oogway's face. Then... OOGWAY I don't know. INT. NOODLE SHOP - DAY Po is serving customers, but has trouble squeezing between tables. PO Oop...sorry. ANGRY PATRON Hey! Watch it, Po! PO Sorry. Suck it up. 11. He sucks his belly in, but this causes his butt to interfere with a bunny family's meal. DISGUSTED PATRON Ugh! PO Oop! Sorry! A thousand pardons. A couple palace geese put up a poster on the wall and a palace pig hits a tiny gong. This gets Po's attention. He rushes up to the poster. PO (CONT'D) What?! Master Oogway's choosing the Dragon Warrior! Today! Customers jump up excitedly. PO (CONT'D) Everyone! Everyone! Go! Get to the Jade Palace! Po urges the villagers out the restaurant. PO (CONT'D) One of the Five is gonna get the Dragon Scroll! Customers rush to finish their food. PO (CONT'D) We've been waiting a thousand years for this! Just take the bowl! Other customers are finishing their soup. One old lady customer slowly counts out coins and puts them on the table. PO (CONT'D) This is the greatest day in Kung Fu history! Don't worry about it, just go! He starts to run. PO'S DAD Po! Where are you going? Po stops dead in his tracks, busted. PO To the...Jade Palace? 12. PO'S DAD But you're forgetting your noodle cart! The whole valley will be there, and you'll sell noodles to all of them. PO Selling noodles? But Dad, you know, I was kinda thinking maybe I... PO'S DAD Yeah? PO I was kinda thinking maybe I... PO'S DAD Uh huh? Po wants to say something to his dad, but he loses his nerve. PO ...Could also sell the bean buns. They are about to go bad. PO'S DAD That's my boy! I told you that dream was a sign! PO Yeah, ha ha, glad I had it. EXT. VALLEY SQUARE - DAY Throngs of Villagers are streaming into the arena. A couple BUNNY KIDS run by. BUNNY FAN #1 Yippee! BUNNY FAN #2 I'm a Kung Fu warrior! BUNNY FAN #1 Me too! Where's Po? PAN DOWN a long, long, long, long flight of stairs. Po stands at the bottom with his noodle cart, looking up at the daunting task before him. Po struggles to pull his noodle cart up the stairs. 13. The sun beats down on Po, but he presses forward. Climbing. Climbing. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. VALLEY SQUARE - LATER Po is still struggling up the stairs. PO Come on! Come on, ya-- Almost there... He stops, flopping onto his back to catch his breath. WIDEN TO REVEAL he's only made it up seven steps. PO (CONT'D) What? No! Oh No! Two Pigs pass by. KG SHAW Sorry, Po. JR SHAW We'll bring you back a souvenir. Po watches as they run up the stairs. His eyes narrow. This is his heroic moment. PO No. I'll bring me back a souvenir. Po tosses off his hat and apron and begins his ascent up the stairs. EXT. JADE PALACE - ARENA PLATFORM Oogway reaches the bottom of the palace stairs and a Palace Pig bangs a gong. SHIFU It is an historic day, isn't it, Master Oogway? OOGWAY Yes, and one I feared I would not live to see. Are your students ready? 14. SHIFU Yes, Master Oogway. OOGWAY Now know this, old friend. Whomever I choose will not only bring peace to the Valley, but also to you. As Shifu contemplates what this could mean, Oogway starts walking off. Shifu quickly joins Oogway as they head towards the roaring crowd below. The pig bangs the gong. ANNOUNCER Let the tournament begin! EXT. VALLEY SQUARE - DAY Throngs of Villagers are streaming into the arena. EXT. TOP OF STAIRS - DAY Po gasps for air as he hoists himself over the last step, laughing victoriously. PO (out of breath) Yeah! The doors to the palace arena begin to close. PO (CONT'D) Oh no! No no no! Wait! I'm coming! Po runs to the entrance and proceeds to bang on the door. PO (CONT'D) Hey! Open the door! DRUMS inside drown out Po's pounding. He yells. PO (CONT'D) Let me in! Inside, spectators' screams drown out Po's yelling. Po panics for a beat and then finds a window. He jumps and weakly struggles to pull himself up. Po struggles to peek through the window. 15. INT. PALACE ARENA - CONTINUOUS SHIFU Citizens of the Valley of Peace! It is my great honor to present to you... Tigress! Viper! Crane! Monkey! Mantis! The Furious Five! The Five jump into the middle of the ring. PO The Furious Five! Po manages a brief glimpse of the Five before a gust of wind knocks Po to the ground and shuts the window. SHIFU Warriors prepare! Po runs over to a crack in the wall. PO Peeky-hole! SHIFU Ready for battle! Inside the arena, Po catches a glimpse of Crane as he spreads his wings. PO Yeah! Woo! The Thousand Tongues of Fire! One of the spectators walks in front of Po, cutting off his view. PIG FAN Whoa! Look at that. PO Hey, get out of the way! Po backs up to get a better look at Crane in the sky and accidentally falls down the stairs. Po climbs back up and drops his head -- he missed it. MONTAGE: Po tries karate chopping the door open...to no avail. He slumps to the ground. 16. PO (CONT'D) Ow... Po attempts a pole vault, but falls on his back. The pole whips around and hits him into the arena wall. Po rigs a catapult, only to get clobbered by it. The crowd CHEERS. Po sits atop the stairs. Alone. SHIFU And finally...Master Tigress! Po snaps to attention. Po pulls on a rope tied to a tree. SHIFU (O.S.) (CONT'D) And believe me citizens, you have not seen anything yet! PO I KNOW!! SHIFU (O.S.) Master Tigress! Face Iron Ox and his Blades of Death! Tigress sets up to deliver her move. Po launches himself up above the fence, gets a peek at Tigress, then falls out of view just as she does her move. Po lands outside the arena in a fireworks tent. INT. TOURNAMENT RING - DAY Oogway senses something. He raises his hand and the crowd hushes. OOGWAY I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us. Shifu motions for the Five to gather in the center of the ring. SHIFU Citizens of the Valley of Peace! Master Oogway will now choose... the Dragon Warrior! 17. EXT. TOURNAMENT RING - DAY Po comes to. PO Huh? Oh no! Wait! He sees the fireworks and has an idea. PO (CONT'D) Yeah! INT. TOURNAMENT RING - DAY Oogway closes his eyes and raises his hand as ceremonial DRUMS start to play. EXT. TOURNAMENT RING - DAY Po struggles with something, his back turned to us. Reveal he has tied a load of fireworks to a chair. He hops on and lights the fuse. PO'S DAD (O.S.) Po?! Po's Dad rushes over and tries to blow out the fuse. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) What are you doing? PO What does it look like I'm doing? Stop! Stop! I'm going to see the Dragon Warrior! PO'S DAD But I don't understand. You finally had the noodle dream. Po looks uneasy. PO I lied. I don't dream about noodles, Dad! He looks at the fuse... almost all gone... Po holds onto the chair for dear life, closes his eyes, and braces himself for liftoff. PO (CONT'D) I love kung fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu- 18. Po finally opens his eyes... He's still on the ground. The fuse was a dud. Po falls face first into the dirt. He looks away, embarrassed. Po's Dad holds out his apron. PO'S DAD Come on, son. Let's get back to work. PO Okay. Po sighs, starts to reach for the apron, then-- BOOM! The rockets ignite, propelling Po into the stadium wall. PO'S DAD Oh! Come back! Po's rocket chair blasts him into the sky amid a shower of fireworks. CROWD Oooh! Aaahh! Po climbs up and up...until the rockets die out and the chair loses power... PO Uh oh... Oogway's arm sweeps down the line of the expectant Five... Po falls towards the center of the ring... The tension builds as the Five wait to see who will be picked. Then... SMASH! Po lands and kicks up a huge dirt cloud, obscuring the ring. INT. ARENA PO POV: He sees the Five looking down at him, appalled. Po comes round slowly, getting his bearings. He looks around and sees Oogway. Strangely, the old turtle is smiling. PO What's going on? Where...uh? What are you pointing--? He looks up. An awful realization starts to dawn. Po GULPS. He is desperately embarrassed. 19. PO (CONT'D) Oh. Okay. Sorry. I just wanted to see who the Dragon Warrior was. He tries to shuffle his butt out of there, mumbling apologies. OOGWAY How interesting. TIGRESS Master, are you pointing at...me? OOGWAY Him. PO Who--? Po tries moving out of the way of Oogway's finger, but it keeps following him. OOGWAY You. PO Me? Oogway grabs Po's hand and holds it up for all to see. OOGWAY The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior! QUICK CUTS: PO What? FURIOUS FIVE What?? SHIFU What??? PO'S DAD WHAT???? The pig bangs the gong. The crowd goes wild! They cheer! They scream! Confetti falls! A palanquin is carried past Shifu. 20. SHIFU Stop! Wait! Who told you to--? Po stands there, utterly stunned, his mouth hanging open. He is abruptly lifted up out of shot. Cut to the Palace Geese straining. Po is being lifted with great effort on the palanquin. He is carried off. Shifu elbows his way urgently through the thronging crowd to get to Oogway. SHIFU (CONT'D) Master Oogway, wait! That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to... our problem. You were about to point at Tigress. That thing fell in front of her. That was just an accident! OOGWAY There are no accidents. Oogway smiles benignly as we hear an off-screen CRASH! The camera adjusts to reveal the palanquin has collapsed under Po. Shifu looks at Oogway. Oogway just smiles. A squad of burly pigs rushes in and hoists Po, the palanquin, and the Geese onto their shoulders, and they head off for the Jade Palace. Stunned, Shifu watches them go. Behind him, the Five approach and bow. TIGRESS Forgive us, Master. We have failed you. Shifu spins around. SHIFU No. If the panda has not quit by morning, then I will have failed you. Confetti flutters through the air as the celebration continues around them. CUT TO: 21. EXT. PRISON -- NIGHT A huge prison is carved into the side of a frozen mountain. Fifteen stories of iron and rock. No windows. One door -- locked, bolted and sealed tight. Rhinoceros guards in armor patrol the perimeter. Zeng, the palace goose, flies into frame and a Rhino Sentry spots him in the distance. He lands, sliding on the ice and crashing into the gate. The rhinos point their spears at him. ZENG Wait wait wait! I bring a message from Master Shifu. CLANG! The doors creak open. The terrified goose peers in. CUT TO: INT. PRISON -- A MOMENT LATER COMMANDER What?!?! (reading) "Double the guard?! Extra precautions?! Your prison may not be adequate!" The Goose is quaking in fear. Stern Rhinos surround him, staring daggers at him. The Commander snaps the scroll shut. COMMANDER (CONT'D) You doubt my prison's security? ZENG Absolutely not. (then) Shifu does. I'm just the messenger. COMMANDER I'll give you a message for your Master Shifu. ON A BRIDGE COMMANDER Escape from Chogun Prison is impossible! The Goose is awed by the cavernous prison. 22. ZENG Whoa. The goose looks over the bridge's edge. The prison goes down a long ways. The commander hits the goose on the back. COMMANDER Impressive, isn't it? A feather from the goose drifts down the prison. ZENG Yes, very impressive. It's VERY impressive. COMMANDER One way in, one way out, one thousand guards, and one prisoner. ZENG Yes, except that prisoner is Tai Lung... AT THE ELEVATOR COMMANDER Take us down. Several guard rhinos winch the goose and the commander down. The commander grabs the chain and shakes the elevator, trying to scare the goose. ZENG What are you doing?! The commander just laughs. The elevator finally lands, sending an echo throughout the prison. AT DOORS - A number of doors unlock, one after the other. Finally, a drawbridge is lowered out onto an island. ZENG (CONT'D) Oh my... COMMANDER Behold, Tai Lung. ZENG I'll um...I'm just gonna wait right here. 23. COMMANDER It's nothing to worry about. It's perfectly safe. He shoves the goose out ahead of him. ZENG Oof! COMMANDER Crossbows! At the ready! ZENG Crossbows?! They approach TAI LUNG, a giant, muscular snow leopard bound in a giant piece of tortoise shell armor and chains. He barely registers signs of life. The commander walks right up to him. COMMANDER Hey, tough guy, did you hear? Oogway's finally gonna give someone the Dragon Scroll and it's not gonna be you! The goose can't believe it. ZENG What are you doing?! Don't get him mad. COMMANDER What's he gonna do about it? I've got him completely immobilized. The Commander stomps on Tai Lung's tail. We hear a crunch. The goose flinches. But Tai Lung does not react. COMMANDER (CONT'D) Awww. Did I step on the witty kitty's tail? Awww. Tai Lung doesn't move. His eyes stare coldly straight ahead. ZENG I'm good. I've seen enough. I'm gonna tell Shifu he's got nothing to worry about. COMMANDER No, he doesn't. 24. ZENG Okay, I'll tell him that. Can we please go now? The Commander starts to walk back to the elevator. The goose hurries after him. The goose's feather flutters into frame. We follow the feather as it lands right in front of Tai Lung. HIS EYES OPEN. Tai Lung grabs the feather with his tail. INT. JADE PALACE - HALLWAY The palace doors open to reveal Po on the palanquin, hundreds of villagers behind him. CROWD (chanting) Dragon Warrior! Dragon Warrior! Po is ushered in and the doors close. He is alone. He runs back to the closed palace doors. PO Wait a second! Hello? Uh...I think there's been a slight mistake. Everyone seems to think that I'm, uh... Po finally realizes where he is. PO (CONT'D) Whoa. The Sacred Hall of Warriors. No way! Would you look at this place! He rushes up to a display of armor. PO (CONT'D) (GASP) Master Flying Rhino's Armor! With authentic battle damage! He rushes up to a green sword, making sure not to touch it. PO (CONT'D) (GASP) The Sword of Heroes! Said to be so sharp you can cut yourself just by looking-- OW! He stares at a black sopt on the wall. 25. PO (CONT'D) (GASP) The Invisible Trident of Destiny!? He admires a painting. PO (CONT'D) (GASP) I've only seen paintings of that painting... Po runs around the room, amazed by all the ancient kung fu artifacts. Something special catches Po's eye. PO (CONT'D) (loudly) Nooo! Ohhhh! He runs over to it. PO (CONT'D) The legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors! Said to contain the souls of the entire Tenshu army. (calling into vase) Hellooo? SHIFU Have you finished sight-seeing? Po GASPS. PO (to vase) Sorry. I should've come to see you first. SHIFU My patience is wearing thin. PO (to vase) Oh. Well, I mean, it's not like you were going anywhere. SHIFU Would you turn around? PO Sure. Po turns and sees Shifu. 26. PO (CONT'D) Hey, how's it going? Po turns back to the vase. PO (CONT'D) (to vase) Now how do you get five thousand-- (cutting himself off) Master Shifu! Po bumps the vase which falls and BREAKS. PO (CONT'D) Someone...broke that. But I'm gonna fix it. Do you have some glue? The vase debris screams as Po tries to pick up the pieces. PO (CONT'D) Ow! Ooh. Splinter. Po fumbles around. Shifu looks irked. SHIFU So you're the legendary Dragon Warrior. Hmmm? PO Uh...I guess so? Shifu smiles and shakes his head. SHIFU Wrong! You are not the Dragon Warrior. You will never be the Dragon Warrior until you have learned the secret of the Dragon Scroll. He points to a dragon on the ceiling with a single scroll in its mouth. PO (in awe) Whoa. (then) So how does this work? You have a ladder or trampoline or...? SHIFU You think it's that easy? That I am just going to hand you the secret to limitless power? 27. PO No, I... SHIFU One must first master the highest level of kung fu. And that is clearly impossible if that one is someone like you. PO Someone like me? Shifu walks around Po - pointing out his weaknesses. SHIFU Yes. Look at you...this fat butt. Shifu HITS Po on the butt with his staff. SHIFU (CONT'D) Flabby arms... PO Those are sensitive in the flabby parts. Shifu SWATS Po on the arm with his staff. SHIFU And this ridiculous belly. Shifu HITS Po in the belly with his staff. PO Hey... SHIFU --and utter disregard for personal hygiene. PO (pointing at Shifu) Now wait a minute. That's a little uncalled-for. SHIFU Don't stand that close...I can smell your breath. PO Listen...Oogway said that I was the- Shifu pinches Po's outstretched digit. 28. PO (CONT'D) (gasp) The Wuxi Finger Hold?! Not the Wuxi Finger Hold! SHIFU (sly) Oh, you know this hold? PO DevelopedbyMasterWuxiInTheThirdDyna sty-- YES. SHIFU Oh, then you must know what happens when I flex my pinky. Po nervously eyes his finger locked in Shifu's grip and nods quickly. PO No no no! SHIFU You know the hardest part of this? The hardest part is cleaning up afterwards... PO Okay! Okay! Take it easy... SHIFU Now listen closely, panda. Oogway may have picked you, but when I'm through with you, I promise you, you're going to wish he hadn't. Are we clear? PO Yeah, we're clear. We're clear. We are so clear. SHIFU Good. I can't wait to get started. INT. TRAINING HALL The doors open, revealing Po nursing his wounded finger. Shifu steps out of the way and Po's face goes into shock. The Five are performing death-defying kung fu moves in the training hall. Tigress smashes a swinging, spiked ball of wood. ANGLE ON AN AWESTRUCK PO, as shards of wood blast into his face. Po is intimidated and overwhelmed. 29. Shifu scowls at Po. SHIFU Let's begin. He gestures to the gauntlet. Po's eyes go wide. PO Wait wait wait...What? Now? SHIFU Yes...now. Unless you think the great Oogway was wrong, and you are not the Dragon Warrior. PO Oh, okay. Well-- I don't know if I can do all of those moves. Shifu walks away and Po half-heartedly follows. SHIFU Well, if we don't try, we'll never know will we? PO Uh, yeah. It's just, maybe we can find something more suited to my level. SHIFU And what level is that? PO Well, ya know...I'm not a master, but uh, let's just start at zero, level zero. SHIFU There is no such thing as level zero. PO Hey! Maybe I can start with that. Po points at a rather friendly-looking dummy. SHIFU That? We use that for training children. And for propping the door open when it's hot. But if you insist... Relieved, Po turns to the dummy. The Five gather around him. 30. PO Whoa. The Furious Five. You're so much bigger than your action figures -- except for you, Mantis. You're about the same. Mantis gives him a look. SHIFU Go ahead, panda. Show us what you can do. PO Um, are they gonna watch? Or should I just wait until they get back to work or something... SHIFU Hit it. PO Ok. I mean, I just ate. So I'm still digesting... So my kung fu might not be as good as later on. SHIFU Just hit it. Po psyches himself up, doing some Jack Fu. PO Alright. Whatcha got? You got nothing cause I got it right here. You picking on my friends? Get ready to feel the thunder. I'm comin' at him with the crazy feet. Whatcha gonna do about my crazy feet? I'm a blur. I'm a blur. You never seen bear style, you only seen praying Mantis! OR... I could come at you Monkey style. OR... I'm comin' at ya snikity-snake. Shifu and the Five stare at Po, perplexed. SHIFU Would you hit it! PO Alright...alright. Po lightly hits the dummy and it rocks back into place. 31. SHIFU Why don't you try again? A little harder... Po punches it again, knocking it all the way backwards. He turns to Shifu, smug. PO How's tha-- WHAP! The dummy rights itself and smacks Po. Totally dazed, Po trips and stumbles his way through the obstacle course. The Five instinctively step forward to help Po, but Shifu holds up his hand to stop them. BACK ON PO PO (CONT'D) Ow, that hurts. A spiky tethered ball sends Po flying into the jade turtle exercise, where it rattles him around. SHIFU (to the Five) This'll be easier than I thought. Back to Po in the turtle bowl. PO Feeling a little nauseous. The turtle spills him out and he stumbles into the army of wooden dummies. PO (CONT'D) Ow, those are hard! Ooh! I think I... The last dummy whaps him in the crotch and everything becomes still. PO (CONT'D) Oooohoohoo...my tenders. He struggles to get on his feet, takes one step and reaches out to a dummy arm...and immediately gets pummeled all over again. Po comes out the other side battered and bruised and finds he is standing on the floor that shoots out bursts of flame. We see reflections of fire on the Five and Shifu as Po gets singed. He comes crawling into frame. 32. PO (CONT'D) How did I do? SHIFU There is now a level zero. CUT TO: EXT. BUNKHOUSE - NIGHT The Five are walking to the bunkhouse, which sits high on a hill. MANTIS There's no words. CRANE No denying that. VIPER I don't understand what Master Oogway was thinking. The poor guy's just gonna get himself killed. CRANE (mocking) He is so mighty! The Dragon Warrior fell out of the sky on a ball of fire. MANTIS When he walks, the very ground shakes! TIGRESS One would think that Master Oogway would choose someone who actually knew Kung Fu. CRANE Yeah, or could at least touch his toes. MONKEY Or even see his toes. As the others walk off, we reveal Po, who unbeknownst to them has been walking behind them this whole time, hearing everything. He attempts to look at his toes but just sees gut. He lifts up his stomach, leans forward... leans... leans... and falls over. 33. He gets up and watches them go inside. He sighs. INT. BUNKHOUSE Po peeks around the corner. PO Okay. He tip-toes into the hall. SQUEAK. The floorboards strain beneath him. SQUEAK. PO (CONT'D) (whispering) Great. Po takes a gentle step. CRE-E-E-A-AA--CHUNK! Po's foot goes through the floor. Po tries to recover. SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK! THUNK! Po rolls his ankle and stumbles through a bedroom door. Crane is staring back at him. PO (CONT'D) Oh hey...hi. You're up. CRANE Am now. PO I was just uh... Some day huh? That kung fu stuff is hard work, right? Your biceps sore? Crane looks at his wing. CRANE Um...I've had a long and rather disappointing day, so uh...yeah, I should probably get to sleep now. PO Yeah yeah yeah, of course. CRANE (relieved) Okay, thanks. PO It's just...I'm such a big fan. 34. CRANE Oop. PO You guys were totally amazing at the Battle of Weeping River. Outnumbered a thousand to one, but you didn't stop, and then you just... HI-YAH! Po does a spastic series of Kung Fu moves. We hear a RIP, and reveal that he's kicked his foot through the paper wall. PO (CONT'D) Ooo, sorry about that. CRANE Look, you don't belong here. Po looks stung to be hearing this from one of his heroes. PO I know. I know. You're right. I just - my whole life I've dreamed of- Crane stops Po before he embarrasses himself even more. CRANE No no no... I meant you don't belong here. I mean, in this room. This is my room. Property of Crane. Po is mortified, but covers. PO Oh, okay. Right right. Yeah, you want to get to sleep. CRANE Yeah. PO I'm keepin' you up. We got big things tomorrow. Alright. You're awesome. Last thing I'm gonna say. Okay. Bye bye. Po shuts the door. Crane sighs. The door flies open. Po enters with an eager smile. PO (CONT'D) What was that? 35. CRANE I didn't say anything. PO Okay. Alright. Goodnight. Sleep well. Po backs out into the hall and closes the door. PO (CONT'D) Seemed a little bit awkward. Po turns and walks down the hall to find a vacant room. CREAK- CREAK. Tigress opens the door behind him. Po winces. PO (CONT'D) Master Tigress! Didn't mean to wake you. Just uh... TIGRESS You don't belong here. PO Uh, yeah, yeah. Of course. This is your room. TIGRESS I mean...you don't belong in the Jade Palace. You're a disgrace to Kung Fu, and if you have any respect for who we are and what we do, you will be gone by morning. She closes the door on Po, who slumps sadly. PO Big fan... EXT. JADE PALACE - NIGHT A dejected Po stands under a peach tree in the moonlight. Oogway approaches. OOGWAY I see you have found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Po spins around, his face dripping with peach juice. 36. PO (mouth full) Is that what this is? I am so sorry. I thought it was just a regular peach tree. OOGWAY I understand. You eat when you are upset. PO Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset? OOGWAY So why are you upset? Po sighs, there's no use trying to lie to Oogway. PO I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of kung fu, in the history of China, in the history of sucking. OOGWAY Probably. PO And the Five... man, you should have seen them, they totally hate me. OOGWAY Totally. PO How's Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I mean, I'm not like The Five. I've got no claws, no wings, no venom. Even Mantis has those... (he imitates a mantis' front legs) ...thingies. Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles. OOGWAY Quit, don't quit. Noodles, don't noodles. Po looks confused. 37. OOGWAY (CONT'D) You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present. Oogway hits the tree with his staff as he walks away and a peach falls into Po's open hand. INT. PRISON -- NIGHT Using the goose's feather to pick the lock, Tai Lung BURSTS free from his armor. An ALARM RINGS OUT! The Commander runs to the ledge, the Goose right behind him. ZENG What's happening?! The Goose looks over the edge and sees Tai Lung at the bottom of the pit. Tai Lung struggles with his shackles. COMMANDER Fire Crossbows! Tai Lung uses the incoming spears to break his shackles and then manages to kick the spears back up into the walls, creating a makeshift staircase. ZENG Tai Lung is free! I must warn Shifu! The Commander shuts the Goose up. COMMANDER You're not going anywhere. And neither is he. ZENG Let go of me! COMMANDER (to guards) Bring it up! 38. The winch turns and the elevator starts to rise. A rhino guard tries to reach it, but just misses. RHINO GUARD #1 Wait! Bring it back! ZENG He's coming this way! COMMANDER He won't get far. (to guards) Archers! Leaping across the spears, Tai Lung catches the elevator as the volley of arrows flies down past him. The guards cut the rope and the elevator crashes back down to the bottom of the pit. Tai Lung swings up from the bottom of the elevator house and catches the guards by surprise. He grabs the chain and jumps over the edge and swings around, launching himself up to the next tier, disappearing into the shadows. Tai Lung lands on a bridge, fights his way through, finally reaching the top tier where the Commander and the rest of the Rhino army await. ZENG We're dead. So very, very dead. The Commander hushes the Goose. COMMANDER (to Goose) Heh heh...not yet we're not! Now! Archers set off charges on the ceiling. Massive stalactites crash down and the bridge begins to crumble. Tai Lung leaps across the crumbling debris and attempts one last huge jump towards the Commander. But he falls short, claws scraping and sparking against the rock wall. The Commander laughs maniacally. On his way down, Tai Lung looks up and sees a fuse burning down to the last group of explosives. He leaps across the raining debris up to the ceiling of the cavern. Grabbing a hold of the dynamite, Tai Lung falls and slings it ahead of him at the guards. ZENG Can we run now? 39. COMMANDER Yes. EXT. PRISON KA-THOOM! The door blasts open and Rhinos go flying everywhere. WHUMP. The Goose hits the ground. The commander's horn prosthetic falls in front of him. ZENG Nuuu... Urggg... Tai Lung picks up the Goose by the throat. ZENG (CONT'D) URRK! TAI LUNG I'm glad Shifu sent you. I was beginning to think I had been forgotten. With a creepy tenderness, Tai Lung smooths the Goose's ruffled feathers. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) Fly back there and tell them...the real Dragon Warrior is coming home. Tai Lung throws the Goose into the air and he flutters off. Lightning strikes. CUT TO: EXT. BUNKHOUSE - MORNING CLOSE-UP of a gong being struck. INT. BUNKHOUSE - CONTINUOUS Shifu enters the hallway of the bunkhouse. The Five burst out of their rooms and land, ready for inspection. FURIOUS FIVE Good morning master! One door remains closed. 40. SHIFU Panda! Panda, wake up! He slides open Po's door. The room is empty. SHIFU (CONT'D) (satisfied) Hmm. He's quit. EXT. TRAINING HALL - MOMENTS LATER Shifu walks with a bit more energy. VIPER What do we do now, Master? With the panda gone, who will be the Dragon Warrior? SHIFU All we can do is resume our training and trust that in time, the true Dragon Warrior will be revealed. INT. JADE PALACE - MOMENTS LATER Shifu enters the training hall, only to find himself face-to- face with Po's butt. Shifu and the Five are taken aback. SHIFU What are you doing here?! Reveal Po is in the middle of the floor, his legs spread wide apart. Po looks back over his shoulder to see Shifu and the Five enter the hall. PO Hey! Huh... Good morning, Master! I thought I'd warm up a little. SHIFU You're stuck. PO Stuck?! Whaa? Pfft... stuck... Yeah, I'm stuck. SHIFU (to Crane) Help him. Crane approaches Po. 41. CRANE Oh dear. Crane gingerly grabs Po's waistband and attempts to pull him up by flapping his wings. PO Maybe on three. One. Two- Crane pulls him up and Po flops onto his back. PO (CONT'D) Threeeee. Thank you. CRANE Don't mention it. PO No really, I appreci-- CRANE --EVER. SHIFU You actually thought you could learn to do a full split in one night? It takes years to develop one's flexibility and years longer to apply it in combat. Shifu flings two boards into the air. Instantly, Tigress leaps up and executes a perfect split kick. Po is awestruck. As Tigress lands, the broken chunks of board land all around Po, knocking him on the head. Po collects a piece of splintered board as a souvenir. Shifu notices and steps forward. SHIFU (CONT'D) Put that down! The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones. PO Yeah, excellent! He laughs excitedly and salutes Shifu. SHIFU Let's get started. CUT TO: 42. MONTAGE Shifu snaps his fingers. Viper and Po face off. VIPER Are you ready? PO I was born ready-- Viper lashes her tail around Po's wrist, wrenches his arm back, flings him into the air and brings him crashing back down on his head. PO (CONT'D) Eaghhh... VIPER I'm sorry, brother! I thought you said you were ready! PO That was awesome! Let's go again. (salutes) Shifu snaps. Monkey twirls a bamboo staff. He lunges at Po who takes a comical beating. Shifu snaps. Po and Crane prepare to spar atop the turtle bowl. CRASH. Po falls in and is tossed around like a sack of soup. Shifu snaps. We see a series of shots of Po falling on his face at the hands of some invisible opponent, who turns out to be... Mantis. Shifu smiles. Flat on his back, Po manages a salute. Shifu has had it. SHIFU I've been taking it easy on you, panda, but no more! Your next opponent... will be me. Po looks excited. PO Alright! Let's go! 43. The Five exchange worried looks. SHIFU (to Po) Step forth. Po doesn't even finish the step as Shifu whirls him around and throws him to the floor pinning his arm behind him. SHIFU (CONT'D) The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness and make him suffer for it. PO (delighted) Oh, yeah! Shifu whips Po around again. SHIFU To take his strength and use it against him. Again, this time Shifu holds Po by the nose. SHIFU (CONT'D) --until he finally falls, or quits. Po is totally inspired. PO But a real warrior never quits. Don't worry, Master, I will never quit! At his breaking point, Shifu flings Po into the air and then leaps at him with a flying kick. CUT TO: EXT. TRAINING HALL - CONTINUOUS Po crashes out of the door and tumbles down the steps. The Five watch him fall. TIGRESS If he's smart, he won't come back up those steps. MONKEY But he will. 44. VIPER He's not gonna quit, is he? MANTIS He's not gonna quit bouncin', I'll tell ya that. Cut WIDE as Po continues to tumble. INT. BUNKHOUSE - EVENING Close on Po, who grimaces. PO (O.S.) Aaaoo...whoohoo...EEEee...hee- hee... I thought you said acupuncture would make me feel better. Mantis pops up from behind Po holding a handful of needles and sticks Po again. MANTIS Trust me, it will. It's just not easy finding the right nerve points under all this-- PO Fat? MANTIS Fur, I was gonna say fur. PO Sure you were. MANTIS Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean -- look at me. Po looks for Mantis... MANTIS (O.C.) (CONT'D) I'm over here. ...But Mantis is now on his other shoulder. He jabs another needle into Po. PO Ow! 45. VIPER Maybe you should take a look at this again. Viper is holding a diagram of acupuncture meridians (onto which someone has overlaid a drawing of a panda.) MANTIS (re: diagram) Oh! Okay. Quick cuts to Monkey meditating in his room and Crane doing calligraphy in his. Po's yelps distract them. PO Ow! Don't... (laughing) Stop it, stop-- Yow! I know Master Shifu's trying to inspire me and all, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to get rid of me. Po chuckles. The others look at each other and chuckle awkwardly. MANTIS I know he can seem kind of heartless-- He violently jabs another needle in Po. MANTIS (CONT'D) But, ya know, he wasn't always like that. VIPER According to legend, there was once a time when Master Shifu actually used to smile. PO No. MANTIS Yes. Cut to Tigress out in the hallway. She can hear them talking. VIPER But that was before... PO Before what? 46. Tigress enters. TIGRESS Before Tai Lung. Crane's shadow is silhouetted on the wall. CRANE Uh yeah, we're not really supposed to talk about him. TIGRESS Well, if he's going to stay here, he should know. PO (trying to ease the tension) Guys, guys. I know about Tai Lung. Tigress turns to Po. PO (CONT'D) He was a student, the first ever to master the thousand... Tigress approaches Po and leans in towards him. PO (CONT'D) (nervously trailing off) ...scrolls of... kung fu... and... then he turned bad... and now he's in jail. Tigress shakes her head at the panda's ignorance. TIGRESS He wasn't just a student. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. TRAINING HALL FLASHBACK. Shifu peeks out of the Training Hall and finds a baby leopard cub on the steps. TIGRESS (V.O.) Shifu found him as a cub. And he raised him as a son. Baby Tai Lung pulls on Shifu's whiskers. 47. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...and when the boy showed talent in Kung Fu... Baby Tai Lung punches the training dummy across the floor. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...Shifu trained him. Shifu teaches Baby Tai Lung how to punch. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) He believed in him. He told him he was destined for greatness. Hard cut to a full-grown Tai Lung demolishing a training dummy. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) It was never enough for Tai Lung. He wanted the Dragon Scroll. But Oogway saw darkness in his heart and refused. Outraged, Tai Lung laid waste to the valley. He tried to take the scroll by force. And Shifu had to destroy what he had created. Tai Lung ransacks a village on his way up to the Jade Palace. He crashes through the doors, running towards a waiting Shifu and Oogway. Shifu leaps at Tai Lung to deliver a kick. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) But how could he? Seeing only baby Tai Lung running towards him, Shifu pulls his kick short. Tai Lung counters with a devastating strike and Shifu crashes to the ground holding his broken leg. Tai Lung leaps for the scroll, but Oogway stops him with strikes at his pressure points. He falls to the ground in a heap. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) Shifu loved Tai Lung like he'd never loved anyone before... Young Tigress in the training hall strikes the dummy in the same manner as Tai Lung. Shifu corrects her form. Nothing more. Young Tigress looks crestfallen. 48. TIGRESS (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...or since. The sad, young Tigress cross-dissolves to adult Tigress. INT. BUNKHOUSE - EVENING Everyone is quiet in the moment. TIGRESS And now he has a chance to make things right, to train the true Dragon Warrior. And he's stuck with you: a big, fat panda who treats it like a joke. Po makes a googly-eyed face. PO Doieeeee... TIGRESS (charging at Po) Oh! That is it! Mantis pops up and halts Tigress. MANTIS Wait! My fault! I accidentally tweaked his facial nerve. Po falls face first to the floor, revealing his back is covered with needles. MANTIS (CONT'D) And may have also stopped his heart. INT. TRAINING HALL - NIGHT Shifu is sitting in meditation, fidgeting incessantly. SHIFU Inner peace. Inner peace. Inner peace. He finally opens one eye. SHIFU (CONT'D) Would whoever is making that flapping sound, quiet down! 49. Satisfied with the silence, Shifu nods and resumes his meditation. SHIFU (CONT'D) Inner... BOOM. Zeng drops in from the ceiling. SHIFU (CONT'D) Oh, Zeng. Excellent. I could use some good news right now. ZENG Uh... CUT TO: EXT. JADE PALACE GROUNDS - EVENING Oogway stands under the peach tree, deep in thought. Shifu rushes in, emerging from the mist, extremely agitated. SHIFU Master! Master! OOGWAY Hmmm? SHIFU (out of breath) I have-- it's-- it's very bad news. OOGWAY Ah, Shifu. There is just news. There is no good or bad. SHIFU Master, your vision...your vision was right. Tai Lung has broken out of prison. He's on his way! OOGWAY That is bad news... He turns to face Shifu and stares at him, eyebrow raised. OOGWAY (CONT'D) ...If you do not believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him. SHIFU The panda? Master, that panda is not the Dragon Warrior. (MORE) 50. SHIFU (CONT'D) He wasn't even meant to be here -- it was an accident! OOGWAY There are no accidents. SHIFU Yes, I know. You've said that already. Twice. OOGWAY Well, that was no accident either. SHIFU Thrice. OOGWAY My old friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control. SHIFU Illusion? OOGWAY Yeah. Look at this tree, Shifu. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time. SHIFU But there are things we can control. Shifu kicks the tree and a peach falls to his feet. SHIFU (CONT'D) I can control when the fruit will fall. A peach falls on his head and Oogway chuckles. Shifu tosses the peach in the air, leaps up, and splits it with a chop. SHIFU (CONT'D) And I can control-- Shifu punches the ground, creating a hole and places the seed in it. SHIFU (CONT'D) --where to plant the seed. That is no illusion, Master. 51. OOGWAY Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple, or an orange... but you will get a peach. SHIFU But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung! OOGWAY Maybe it can. If you are willing to guide it, to nurture it. To believe in it. Oogway covers the seed with dirt. SHIFU But how? How? I need your help, Master. OOGWAY No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu. Promise me you will believe. SHIFU I... I will try. Oogway smiles, then glances up at the sky, then back down to Shifu. OOGWAY Good. My time has come. You must continue your journey without me. He hands his staff to a confused Shifu. SHIFU What... what are you..? Oogway backs away into the swirling fog. SHIFU (CONT'D) Master, you can't leave me! The petals surround Oogway as he approaches the cliff's edge. OOGWAY You must believe. SHIFU Master! 52. Shifu runs after him. Oogway is engulfed by peach blossoms. As the winds settle, Shifu is revealed standing at the edge of a cliff. Oogway is gone. We pan across to the bunkhouse. PO (O.S.) ...So I'm like, fine, you may be a wolf, you may be the scariest bandit in Haijin Province... INT. KITCHEN -- NIGHT Reveal Po is cooking for the Five. He chops some veggies mid- air. PO ...but you're a lousy tipper. CRANE (incredulous) Really? So... how'd you get out of there alive? PO I mean, I didn't actually say that, but I thought it... in my mind. Po flips some bowls and expertly lines them up on his arm. He ladles soup into them. PO (CONT'D) (covering) If he... could read my mind, he'd have been like, "What?" (then) Order up! Po looks around expectantly and the Five (minus Tigress) dig in. PO (CONT'D) Hope you like it. MANTIS This is really good. PO (bashful) No, c'mon. (MORE) 53. PO (CONT'D) You should try my dad's secret ingredient soup. He actually knows the secret ingredient. VIPER What are you talking about? This is amazing. CRANE Wow, you're a really good cook. MANTIS I wish my mouth was bigger. The others laugh. But not Tigress. MONKEY Tigress, you gotta try this. Tigress looks up from her meal. TIGRESS It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe. On the others for a beat. Then Po shrugs. PO I guess my body doesn't know it's the Dragon Warrior yet. I'm gonna need a lot more than dew. And, uh, universe juice. Po laughs. He picks up his bowl and takes a giant gulp. When he lowers the bowl, we see a noodle hanging from his face -- it looks like a moustache. Mantis snickers. PO (CONT'D) What? MANTIS Oh, nothing... Master Shifu! The rest start laughing. Po realizes he's wearing a noodle moustache. He plays it up. 54. PO (imitating Shifu) You will never be the Dragon Warrior, unless you lose five hundred pounds and brush your teeth! The Five LAUGH. PO (CONT'D) (imitating Shifu) What is that noise you're making? Laughter? I never heard of it! The Five keep LAUGHING. Po reaches over and grabs two empty bowls and holds them up like ears. PO (CONT'D) (imitating Shifu) Work hard, Panda. And maybe, someday... you will have ears like mine. As the rest of the Five laugh, Tigress sneaks a moment to smell Po's soup. Leaning towards the bowl, she suddenly looks up and stops. The Five also look up and stop laughing. Reveal Shifu has entered behind Po. He is holding Oogway's staff. PO (CONT'D) (normal) Ears. It's not working for you? I thought they were pretty good. Po looks at the stone-faced Five. Tigress jumps to her feet. MONKEY It's Shifu. PO Of course it's Shifu. What do you think I'm doing? He finally notices Shifu standing there, doing a slow burn. Embarrassed, he places the soup bowls on his chest like a bra. PO (CONT'D) Ooh! Master Shifu! Po slurps up the noodle moustache. Monkey can't help but snicker. 55. SHIFU You think this is funny? Tai Lung has escaped from prison and you're acting like children! PO What? SHIFU He is coming for the Dragon Scroll, and you are the only one who can stop him. The bowls fall off. A beat as this sinks in... then Po starts to laugh. PO And here I am saying you got no sense of humor. I'm gonna stop Tai... Shifu just stares at him, deadly serious. PO (CONT'D) What? You're serious? And I have to-- uh, Master Oogway will stop him! He did it before, he'll do it again. SHIFU Oogway cannot, not anymore. They notice Shifu holding Oogway's staff. They know what this means. They are saddened by the news. SHIFU (CONT'D) Our only hope is the Dragon Warrior. TIGRESS The panda? SHIFU Yes, the panda! TIGRESS Master, please. Let us stop Tai Lung. This is what you've trained us for. SHIFU No! It is not your destiny to defeat Tai Lung. It is his. He dramatically points at Po... but Po is gone. 56. SHIFU (CONT'D) Where'd he go? Shifu throws up his hands in frustration and heads after Po. CUT TO: EXT. BUNKHOUSE � DAY Super wide shot as Po runs away from the compound. Closer as he continues running. He checks over his shoulder, turns back... Shifu lands right in front of him. SHIFU You cannot leave! A real warrior never quits! PO Watch me! He tries to maneuver around Shifu, but is redirected back. PO (CONT'D) Come on! How am I supposed to beat Tai Lung? I can't even beat you to the stairs. SHIFU You will beat him because you are the Dragon Warrior! He pushes Po back with the staff. PO Ow! You don't believe that! You never believed that! From the first moment I got here, you've been trying to get rid of me. Shifu pokes him again, this time causing Po to fall on his back. SHIFU Yes. I was. But now I ask you to trust in your master as I have come to trust in mine. PO You're not my master. And I'm not the Dragon Warrior. Po shoves the staff away and gets up. 57. SHIFU Then why didn't you quit? You knew I was trying to get rid of you, and yet you stayed. PO Yeah, I stayed. I stayed because every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt. But it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being me. Po looks down at the Valley, then turns back to Shifu. PO (CONT'D) I stayed because I thought if anyone could change me, could make me... not me, it was you. The greatest kung fu teacher in all of China. SHIFU But I can change you! I can turn you into the Dragon Warrior! And I will! PO C'mon, Tai Lung is on his way here right now. And even if it takes him a hundred years to get here, how are you gonna change this... (indicate belly) ...into the Dragon Warrior? How? How? How?! In frustration, Shifu yells out the answer. SHIFU I don't know!!! (then, resigned) I don't know. PO That's what I thought. Shifu walks away, leaving the path open to Po. EXT. JADE PALACE - NIGHT Tigress stands in the moonlight outside the palace. She has seen what just transpired between Shifu and Po. 58. She turns away, a look of resolve on her face... and LEAPS. She flies through the air, finally landing on a rooftop in the valley below. She looks back up at the palace. TIGRESS This is what you trained me for. She takes off running. The other four are right behind her. VIPER Tigress! She keeps going and they give chase. TIGRESS Don't try and stop me! The chase continues through the village. VIPER We're not trying to stop you! TIGRESS What? VIPER We're coming with you! Then...the others join her. Tigress smiles. They leap off into the night. EXT. JADE PALACE - EVENING Night dissolves to dawn. Shifu sits under the peach tree. He stirs, hearing KUNG FU NOISES from the training hall. He goes to investigate. CUT TO: INT. TRAINING HALL - DAWN Shifu looks inside -- it's empty. The NOISES continue from somewhere else -- the bunkhouse. CUT TO: 59. INT. KITCHEN - DAWN As Shifu turns the corner he sees Po's shadow as he performs some amazing Kung Fu. Entering the kitchen, Shifu finds Po is stuffing his face with food. Seeing Shifu, he stops mid-munch. In silence they eye each other. Shifu surveys the room -- broken lock, smashed doors, unhinged cabinets. Po belches. PO (mouth full) What? I eat when I'm upset, okay? Shifu gets a glimmer in his eye. He has an idea. SHIFU Oh, no need to explain. I just thought you might be Monkey -- he hides his almond cookies on the top shelf. Shifu calmly exits and hides just outside the doorway, waiting to see if his hunch is correct. KLUMP! KLONK! THUNK! Shifu peeks back inside and finds Po perched atop the high shelves jamming more cookies into his mouth. Po notices Shifu walking back in. PO (mouth full) Don't tell Monkey. He glances back down at Shifu, whose disbelief turns to a wise smile. SHIFU Look at you. PO Yeah, I know. I disgust you. SHIFU No no, I mean... how did you get up there? PO I don't know. I guess I-- I don't know. I was getting a cookie... He looks at the cookie and then can't help but eat it. 60. SHIFU And yet you are ten feet off the ground and have done a perfect split. PO No, this... this is just an accident. He and Po stare at each other for a beat. Then... WHOOMP! Po slips and crashes to the kitchen floor. A cookie rolls over to Shifu. He picks it up. SHIFU There are no accidents. Come with me. EXT. MOUNTAINS - DAWN Shifu leads Po through the mountains. PO I know you're trying to be all mystical and kung fu-y, but could you at least tell me where we're going? Shifu just continues walking. CUT TO: EXT. MOUNTAINS - LATER Shifu is sitting beneath a tree. Winded and wheezing, Po slowly works his way up the hill. Po sets his gear down and looks around. Shifu breathes in the morning mist as Po approaches. PO You dragged me all the way out here for a bath?! Po begins to pat his armpits with water. SHIFU Panda, we do not wash our pits in The Pool of Sacred Tears. Po quickly stops. Realizing. 61. PO (in awe) The pool of... SHIFU This is where Oogway unravelled the mysteries of harmony and focus. This is the birthplace of Kung Fu. The camera cranes up to reveal they are standing on rock shapes that resemble a yin yang symbol. As the camera pulls further out, it pulls back through a vision of Oogway doing Kung Fu moves. FLASH FRAME -- Shifu leaps atop one of the rocks and looks down at Po. SHIFU (CONT'D) Do you want to learn Kung Fu? PO (awestruck) Yeah... SHIFU Then I am your master! PO Okay! Tears of joy well up in Po's eyes. SHIFU Don't cry. PO Okay. Po sniffs the tears back and smiles. EXT. FIELD - LATER Shifu leads Po out into an open field. SHIFU When you focus on Kung Fu, when you concentrate...you stink. Po scowls. 62. SHIFU (CONT'D) But perhaps that is my fault. I cannot train you the way I have trained the Five. I now see that the way to get through to you is with this! Shifu produces a bowl of dumplings. PO Oh great, `cause I'm hungry. SHIFU Good. When you have been trained, you may eat. Let us begin. EXT. FIELD - LATER Po's training unfolds -- deep breathing exercises, balance tests, push ups, sit ups, climbing, etc. Through it all, he never gets to eat, although he does indeed learn kung fu. EXT. CLEARING - A MOMENT LATER Shifu sets a bowl of dumplings on a boulder. SHIFU After you, panda. Po stops short, suspicious. PO Just like that? No situps? No ten mile hike? SHIFU I vowed to train you... and you have been trained. You are free to eat. Po grabs one of the dumplings in his chopsticks. SHIFU (CONT'D) Enjoy. Po raises the dumpling to his mouth. WHOOSH! Shifu snatches the dumpling away and eats it himself. PO Hey! 63. SHIFU I said you are free to eat. Have a dumpling. Po reaches again as Shifu leaps across the table and kicks the dumpling into the air. PO Hey! Shifu eats it and Po scowls. SHIFU You are free to eat! PO (upset) Am I? SHIFU (challenging) Are you?! Po and Shifu ready their chopsticks. Po slams the table and sends the bowl of dumplings airborne. Back and forth, Po and Shifu spar, vying for the dumplings. Until there is only one left. Shifu tries every trick to keep the dumpling away from Po. He hides it underneath one of the bowls. He uses his chopsticks as weapons to smack Po's chopsticks away. He attacks Po with his bamboo staff. But Po skillfully manages to best Shifu for the final dumpling. Shifu smiles. Po has passed the final test. But then Po tosses the dumpling into Shifu's open hand. PO I'm not hungry... master. Master and pupil bow to each other. CUT TO: EXT. MOUNTAIN PASS The Five race toward a rope bridge stretched between mountain peaks. 64. Tai Lung appears at the other end of the bridge. He ROARS and races toward them. TIGRESS Cut it! The others slash at the ropes securing the bridge to the mountain. Tai Lung is almost upon them when Tigress cuts the final rope. But Tai Lung is too close -- Tigress must launch herself into him. The two cats end up in the middle of the bridge just as it starts to tumble into the canyon below. The Five grab support ropes and hold on for dear life. TAI LUNG Where's the Dragon Warrior? TIGRESS How do you know you're not looking at her? Tai Lung laughs. It echoes off the mountain walls. TAI LUNG You think I'm a fool? I know you're not the Dragon Warrior. None of you! The Five exchange quick, worried looks. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) (nodding confidently) I heard how he fell out of the sky on a ball of fire, that he's a warrior unlike anything the world has ever seen. The Five exchange quick, confused looks. MONKEY Po? TAI LUNG So that is his name -- Po. Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary! Tigress charges at him. The battle begins. Tigress punches Tai Lung as he hangs from the bridge. But Tai Lung counters with a maneuver that sends Tigress slamming backwards through the bridge's wooden slats. Then Tigress gets choked by the bridge's ropes. Monkey turns to Crane and Viper. MONKEY We've got this. Help her! 65. Viper grabs Tai Lung, which causes him to let go of the ropes. Tigress plummets down into the gorge... but Crane manages to catch her. Viper punches Tai Lung repeatedly with his own fist. Tai Lung manages to get a paw around Viper's "throat". VIPER Monkey! ANGLE ON MANTIS AND MONKEY. Mantis is straining to hold the rope by himself. MANTIS Go! (then) Ack! What was I thinking?! Monkey leaps into action, kicking Tai Lung in the chest and sending him crashing through the slats of the bridge. He gets back to his feet and starts running back to them on a single strand of rope. TIGRESS Mantis! Mantis whips his end of the rope, sending a sine wave shooting toward Tai Lung. The rope whips Tai Lung in the face and he gets tangled up. The Five see their chance. TIGRESS (CONT'D) Now! Working as a team, the Five kick Tai Lung's butt every which way. Tigress finally slashes the last rope holding up Tai Lung. He plummets down... down... disappearing into the mist. Mantis whips his end of the rope, returning his buddies safely to the mountain. The Five look relieved. But the relief is short-lived... Tigress notices that the other end of the bridge is circling the far mountain peak. Her eyes go wide with dread. The rope whips up. But Tai Lung isn't there. With a crash, he suddenly appears behind the Five. TAI LUNG Shifu taught you well... Tai Lung jabs a finger at Monkey, who instantly freezes. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) But he didn't teach you everything. 66. Tai lung lunges toward the rest. EXT. TRAINING HALL - EVENING Shifu and Po walk through the palace courtyard. Po has an easy spring in his step. SHIFU You have done well, Panda. PO Done well? Done well?! I've done awesome! He swings his belly around and knocks Shifu off balance. Shifu staggers back, regaining his dignity. SHIFU The mark of a true hero is humility! After a moment's thought, though, he leans toward Po - SHIFU (CONT'D) But yes...you have done awesome. And he punches him playfully on the arm. Po smiles at him. As they LAUGH, an indistinct figure appears in the clouds behind them. IT'S CRANE! Crane carries the five to the palace grounds, crashing in a heap. PO Huh? Guys? Guys! Po throws his backpack aside and runs over to them. PO (CONT'D) They're dead? No, they're breathing! They're asleep?! No, their eyes are open. Crane struggles to lift his head. CRANE We were no match for his nerve attack. His head collapses to the ground. 67. SHIFU He has gotten stronger. PO Who? Tai Lung? Stronger? Shifu starts freeing the Five. First Viper, then Mantis, then Monkey releases suddenly from his paralysis - MONKEY He's too fast! He delivers a Kung Fu punch to Po's head and then slowly realizes where he is. MONKEY (CONT'D) Sorry, Po. Shifu kneels before Tigress and works to free her. TIGRESS I thought we could stop him. SHIFU He could have killed you. MANTIS Why didn't he? SHIFU So you could come back here and strike fear into our hearts. But it won't work! PO Uh, it might, I mean, a little. I'm pretty scared. SHIFU You can defeat him, panda. PO Are you kidding? If they can't-- They're five masters. I'm just one me. SHIFU But you will have the one thing that no one else does. 68. INT. SCROLL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER CLOSE-UP of the Dragon Scroll. Po stares at Shifu - then looks up at the Scroll. Then back at Shifu - PO You really believe I'm ready? SHIFU You are, Po. They look at each other. This is a big moment. Oogway's staff hangs in a rack surrounded by candles. As Po and The Five stand by, Shifu carries the staff over to the reflecting pool. Shifu bows his head, then, eyes still closed, he raises the staff up above his head. Po and the others watch, expectantly. The peach blossom petals rise in a flickering, spinning cloud up from the pool. The gentle tornado rises up around the ceiling carving that holds the Dragon Scroll. The petals loosen the scroll from the dragon's mouth and it falls. At the last second, Shifu reaches out with the staff to catch the scroll on the end of it. He turns to Po, holding it out. SHIFU (CONT'D) Behold. The Dragon Scroll... It is yours. PO Wait, what happens when I read it? SHIFU No one knows, but legend says you will be able to hear a butterfly's wing-beat. PO Whoa! Really? That's cool. SHIFU Yes. And see light in the deepest cave. You will feel the universe in motion around you. PO Wow! Can I punch through walls? Can I do a quadruple back flip? Will I have invisibility-- SHIFU Focus. Focus. 69. PO Huh? Oh, yeah... yeah. SHIFU Read it, Po, and fulfill your destiny. Read it and become... the Dragon Warrior! PO Whooaa!!! Po takes a deep breath. Then he grasps the tube and tries to pull the top off it. It doesn't budge. He strains at it. PO (CONT'D) It's impossible to open. He strains again. He tries to bite it off... PO (CONT'D) Come on baby. Come on now... Shifu SIGHS and holds out his hand. Po passes him the tube. Shifu pops the end off effortlessly and passes it back to Po. PO (CONT'D) Thank you. I probably loosened it up for you though... Okay, here goes. He glances at the Five. They look on in awe. Monkey gives him the `thumbs up.' Po starts to unroll the scroll, the golden light bathing his face. Across the scroll we see Shifu, excited that he is witness to history... On Po's face as he finishes opening the scroll. Then - PO (CONT'D) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Shifu looks concerned. The Five look concerned. Po looks utterly terrified. PO (CONT'D) It's blank! SHIFU What? PO Here! Look! 70. Po tries to show Shifu the scroll. Shifu covers his eyes and turns his head away. SHIFU No! I am forbidden to look upon-- But he can't help himself. He takes a peek. Then he GRABS if off Po. He turns it around, then upside down. He closes it and opens it again, astonished. SHIFU (CONT'D) Blank? I don't...I don't understand. Shifu turns away, contemplative. What can this mean? PO Okay. So like, Oogway was just a crazy old turtle after all? SHIFU No. Oogway was wiser than us all. Po sits heavily on the floor, dejected. PO Oh, come on! Face it. He picked me by accident. Of course I'm not the Dragon Warrior. Who am I kidding? The Five don't argue. TIGRESS But who will stop Tai Lung? CRANE He'll destroy everything...and everyone. Shifu puts the scroll back in its container and seals it. He looks oddly calm as he turns around. SHIFU No, evacuate the Valley. You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage. TIGRESS What about you master? SHIFU I will fight him. 71. PO What? SHIFU I can hold him off long enough for everyone to escape. PO But Shifu, he'll kill you. SHIFU Then I will finally have paid for my mistake. The Five and Po look devastated. SHIFU (CONT'D) Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey without me. I am very proud to have been your master. Shifu salutes them and turns away. Po is heartbroken. Crane steps forward and kindly puts a wing around Po, pulling away. Po resists for a moment, then lets the Five lead him off. CUT TO: EXT. VALLEY The Five arrive at the base of the stairs. TIGRESS We've got to get them out safely. Monkey picks up a small child. MONKEY Come, little one. Let's find your mama. TIGRESS Viper, gather the southern farmers. Mantis, the north. Crane, light the way. They split up and begin helping the villagers evacuate. Po is left by himself. He makes his way through the bustling town. 72. JR SHAW (skeptically) Look, it's the Dragon Warrior. Po approaches the Noodle Shop. PO Hey, Dad. PO'S DAD Po! Seeing Po, Po's Dad hurries over and wraps his arms around his son. Po bends down to reciprocate the hug, as Po's dad pulls away, having fastened an apron around Po's waist. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) Good to have you back, son! PO (listlessly) Good to be back. Po's Dad goes back to packing things up. PO'S DAD Let's go Po. So, for our next shop, it's time to face it -- the future of noodles is dice-cut vegetables, no longer slices. Dad starts to walk off, unaware that Po isn't following. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) Also, I was thinking, maybe this time we'll have a kitchen you can actually stand up in. Hmm? You like that? He turns and notices that Po hasn't moved. He walks to Po sympathetically. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) Po, I'm sorry things didn't work out. It just... wasn't meant to be. Po slumps against the cart. PO'S DAD (CONT'D) Po, forget everything else. Your destiny still awaits. We are noodle folk -- broth runs deep through our veins. 73. PO I don't know, Dad. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe I'm actually your son. Dad is taken aback. PO'S DAD Po, I think it's time I told you something I should have told you a long time ago... PO Okay. Dad pauses dramatically. PO'S DAD The secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup! Po feigns excitement. PO Oh. PO'S DAD C'mere! The secret ingredient is... nothing! PO Huh? PO'S DAD You heard me. Nothing. There is no secret ingredient! PO Wait wait...it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something? PO'S DAD Don't have to. To make something special, you just have to believe it's special. Po looks at his father with dawning realization. He picks up the Scroll. For a moment, Po stares at his reflection on the scroll, then he smiles serenely. He gets it now. 74. PO There is no secret ingredient... Po turns back to look at the palace. CUT TO: EXT. JADE PALACE - DAWN At the top of the stairs, Shifu looks upon the Valley, awaiting his fate. With a gust of wind, Tai Lung appears before him. TAI LUNG I have come home, Master. SHIFU This is no longer your home. And I am no longer your master. TAI LUNG Yes. You have a new favorite. So where is this...Po? Did I scare him off? SHIFU This battle is between you and me. TAI LUNG So. That is how it's going to be? SHIFU That is how it must be. They fight. At last. Tai Lung punches Shifu clean through the doors of the Jade Palace. Tai Lung enters. TAI LUNG I rotted in jail for twenty years because of your weakness! SHIFU Obeying your master is not weakness! TAI LUNG You knew I was the Dragon Warrior! You always knew... Dissolve to FLASHBACK. 75. A young Tai Lung looks expectant. Oogway shakes his head. TAI LUNG (V.O.) (CONT'D) But when Oogway said otherwise, what did you do? What did you do?! Tai Lung looks to Shifu who averts his eyes and the past dissolves into the present. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) NOTHING! Shifu takes a Kung Fu stance. SHIFU You were not meant to be the Dragon Warrior! That was not my fault! TAI LUNG NOT YOUR FAULT?! Enraged, Tai Lung knocks over the Kung Fu artifacts and throws them at Shifu. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) WHO FILLED MY HEAD WITH DREAMS?! WHO DROVE ME TO TRAIN UNTIL MY BONES CRACKED?! WHO DENIED ME MY DESTINY?! Shifu dodges each attack. SHIFU It was never my decision to make! Tai Lung pulls Oogway's staff from the shrine. TAI LUNG It is now. They fight. Tai Lung pins Shifu down with the staff. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) Give me the scroll! SHIFU I would rather die. They struggle for a beat until finally, the staff splinters into a hundred pieces. Shifu looks back at the pieces and a flutter of peach tree petals fly by. Caught off guard, Shifu gets kicked by Tai Lung into a column. 76. Shifu climbs the column to the rafters. Tai Lung follows and sends them both crashing through the roof. Lightning flash. Grappling in mid-air, Tai Lung gets his hands around Shifu's throat as they crash back through the roof. They kick apart. Shifu crashes to the floor and lands hard. Tai Lung bounces off the wall and throws a lantern to the floor. Flames go everywhere. Tai Lung's arms are aflame as he charges at Shifu. TAI LUNG All I ever did, I did to make you proud! Tell me how proud you are, Shifu! Tell me! TELL ME! THOOM! A fiery punch sends Shifu skidding across the floor and crashing against the reflecting pool. The flames extinguish and Tai Lung extends his claws. SHIFU (weakly) I have always been proud of you. From the first moment, I've been proud of you. And it was my pride that blinded me. I loved you too much to see what you were becoming. What I was turning you into. I'm... sorry. Tai Lung stops in his tracks. Shifu waits. Tai Lung's expression goes cold. He grabs Shifu by the throat. TAI LUNG I don't want your apology. I want my scroll! He holds Shifu up to the ceiling. Looking up, Tai Lung bristles when he sees the scroll is missing. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) WHAT? WHERE IS IT?! Tai Lung slams Shifu to the floor. SHIFU (weakly) Dragon Warrior has taken scroll halfway across China by now. You will never see that scroll, Tai Lung. Never. Never... 77. Tai Lung is furious. He roars, ready to strike Shifu. Suddenly... PO (O.S.) Hey! Tai Lung turns around to find Po standing in the doorway. PO (CONT'D) (out of breath) Stairs... Tai Lung casts Shifu aside. TAI LUNG Who are you? PO Buddy, I am the Dragon Warrior. (exhales hard) Huhhh... TAI LUNG You?! Him?! (to Shifu) He's a panda. (back to Po) You're a panda. What are you gonna do, big guy? Sit on me? PO Don't tempt me. Haha. No. I'm gonna use this. You want it? Come and get it. Po shows him the Dragon Scroll. From out of nowhere, Tai Lung appears and punches Po across the room, grabbing the scroll knocked from Po's hands. TAI LUNG Finally! Po bounces off a nearby pillar and slams back into Tai Lung, sending him flying into a column. Po puts on a brave face and strikes a pose as Tai Lung recovers and charges. Po turns to run. Tai Lung quickly catches up and they both sail off the Palace steps. Po clings to the scroll as Tai Lung delivers a kick and sends him crashing onto the theater rooftops below. 78. Po rolls down off a tree and uses the recoil to whip back and smash Tai Lung. He briefly skids across the rooftop and comes right back at Po. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) That scroll is mine! Down the Theater steps, Po and Tai Lung grapple for the scroll. Po is oblivious to the effects of crashing down stairs and in slow motion, his voluminous butt presses down on Tai Lung's head. As they crash through the Gateway the scroll is knocked loose. Tai Lung goes for the scroll but Po snatches it away using a noodle lasso. The scroll flies towards him and bounces off his head. Tai Lung leaps for it, but Po grabs his tail and pulls him back down onto a cart which see-saws Po into the air. In mid-air, Po slurps the noodle. Up and over the rooftops, Po lands in a grove of bamboo trees and into a nearby wok shop. The scroll rolls to a stop in the street. As Tai Lung makes his move on the scroll, Po turns the array of overturned woks into a shell game, sliding the woks around to hide the scroll. PO Lightning! Tai Lung knocks the woks away and exposes the scroll as Po uses his bamboo stilts to block Tai Lung. The leopard swipes out the stilts and brings Po down on top of him as the scroll rolls down the steps towards the river. Po gets thrown into a fireworks booth. As Tai Lung chases down the scroll, he turns back to see Po flying through the fireworks-filled sky. Po slams through Tai Lung and crashes into a rock wall. The scroll flies out of his hand and lands in the mouth of an ornamental rooftop dragon. He looks back at Tai Lung, who sees where the scroll has landed. Via the magic of cookie- vision, Po effortlessly scales the building. Tai Lung is shocked. TAI LUNG The scroll has given him power. (then) NOOO0!! He takes a giant leap and kicks the wall. The resulting shockwave collapses the building. 79. Amazingly, Po skips across the falling roof tiles to reach the scroll in mid-air as Tai Lung leaps up behind him and unleashes a punishing blow that sends Po smashing into the ground. As Tai Lung lands, he delivers a final devastating punch. As the dust settles, Tai Lung is looming over Po in the impact crater. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) (out of breath) Finally... oh yes... the power of the Dragon Scroll... is mine! Tai Lung grabs for the scroll and opens it. His face falls. TAI LUNG (CONT'D) It's NOTHING!! Po stirs. PO It's okay. I didn't get it the first time either. TAI LUNG (disbelief) What? Po gets to his feet. PO There is no secret ingredient. It's just you. Tai Lung snarls and lunges at Po. TAI LUNG RRRAAAH! PO AAAAGGGHH! Tai Lung attacks Po's nerve points. But Po begins giggling. PO (CONT'D) Stop! Stop it! I'm gonna pee! Don't! Don't! Tai Lung's nerve attack has no effect on Po. Frustrated, he delivers a double-fisted punch to Po's belly. 80. The shockwave ripples through Po's entire body and Po's arms come back and strike Tai Lung, sending the leopard crashing back into a building. Po looks at his hands, amazed at what he just did. Tai Lung rises from the rubble and runs at Po again. But Po strikes back, using an unorthodox panda-style technique, even getting Tai Lung to chomp down on his own tail. Po gives Tai Lung a butt bump that sends him crashing into a building. Tai Lung emerges and attempts one more lunge at Po. But Po prepares... and Tai Lung is swiftly met by Po's IRON BELLY! He is launched into the air. Po waits... and waits... until finally, Tai Lung appears in the sky and crashes to the ground. Tai Lung is battered, but still defiant. TAI LUNG (heavy breathing) You... can't defeat me. You're just a big, fat panda! SCHWING! Po grabs Tai Lung's finger. Tai Lung's eyes go wide. PO I'm not a big, fat panda. I'm the big, fat panda. Po's pinky pops up. Tai Lung gasps. TAI LUNG The Wuxi Finger Hold! PO Oh, you know this hold? TAI LUNG You're bluffing. You're bluffing! Shifu didn't teach you that. PO Nope. I figured it out. He flexes his pinky... PO (CONT'D) Skadoosh! KA-THOOM! 81. EXT. VALLEY OF PEACE A mushroom cloud appears over the Valley, sweeping past the Furious Five and the fleeing villagers. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. VALLEY SQUARE - A LITTLE LATER Villagers emerge from hiding. Po walks out from the mist looking very much like the warrior from the opening dream. KG SHAW Look! The Dragon Warrior. As he nears, we see that his hat is an upside down wok and his scarf is a torn apron. Villagers CHEER the Dragon Warrior. Po's Dad emerges from the crowd. PO'S DAD That's my boy. That big, lovely kung fu warrior is my son! PO Thanks, Dad. Po hugs his dad. The wok falls off Po's head and rolls on the ground until Mantis appears in frame and stops it. The rest of the Five are with him. Po takes notice. PO (CONT'D) Hey, guys. TIGRESS Master. Tigress bows deeply. The others follow. FURIOUS FIVE Master. PO (modest) Master? (then, remembering) Master Shifu! Po races toward the Jade Palace. He climbs the steps. Then more steps. 82. INT. PALACE - MOMENTS LATER Po arrives breathless at the Jade Palace. Shifu is still lying in the scroll room, his eyes closed. Po rushes to his side. PO Master! Shifu! Shifu! Are you okay? Shifu weakly opens his eyes. SHIFU Po! You're alive! (then, darkly) Or we're both dead. PO No, Master, I didn't die. I defeated Tai Lung! SHIFU You did?! Shifu smiles and shakes his head in disbelief. SHIFU (CONT'D) Wow. It is as Oogway foretold -- You are the Dragon Warrior. You have brought peace to this Valley. And to me. Thank you. Thank you, Po. Thank you... Shifu closes his eyes. He is still. Po starts freaking out. PO No! Master! No No No! Don't die, Shifu. Please... SHIFU (eyes snapping open) I'm not dying, you idiot-- ah, Dragon Warrior. I'm simply at peace. Finally. PO Oh. So, um, I should...stop talking? SHIFU If you can. Po nods reverently as Shifu closes his eyes again. Master and pupil lie next to each other. The camera pulls up and back away from them. Po tries to remain still, but it's hard. 83. He's about to say something, but he stops himself. He fidgets for a beat, then can't control himself any longer. PO Want to get something to eat? SHIFU (sighs) Yeah. IRIS OUT. THE END

Hi My name is Ray. A few things about me, my pronouns are She/Her-They/Them. I am a freshman attending Grand Rapids Community College. My major is Political Science/Gender Studies. I was a debater for 6 years in total; 2 years of Public Forum as a 2nd speaker and 4 years of Policy as a 1A/2N at Grand Rapids City High Middle School. I believe debate is an amazing activity with a lot of long term benefits and I am forever thankful I had the opportunity to participate.

General Rules:

- I want to be on the email chain. Please label the chain with the tournament, date, team numbers, and round. My email is ray.himebaugh@gmail.com

- I will NOT tolerate racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, or ableist arguments of any kind. I will tank your speaks and automatically vote for the other team. There are so many different compelling arguments you can make in a round and no remarks or arguments supporting these behaviors will do anything good for you not only in a round but also in life.

- Debate is an activity dominated by white men. That is simply a fact. To be a woman or POC or both actively participating in this activity is a great achievement that comes with a lot of obstacles. If you are involved in this activity you have a voice that deserves to be heard. I ask that you are all respectful not only to the people judging but to your opponents as well. You all work hard and should give each other some credit.

- Have FUN! This is a stressful activity and it takes up large portions of your free time, the least you can do is try to enjoy it. The ballot does not measure your worth as person. A loss isn’t a horrible thing, it’s a learning opportunity.

Policy Debate: I am a policy maker but I also believe in valuable arguments that can be made by a Kritik.

Flowing- You should be flowing I promise we can tell when you aren’t. Practicing and implementing flowing into your ~groove~ during rounds will only help you out in the long run and it reduces the chances of me having to put “please practice line by line” on the judge notes for the ballot.

CX- Be strategic with your questions. I actually listen to CX and if I can tell you weren’t paying attention and don’t have questions prepared or don’t know your own arguments well enough to answer the questions you’ll probably lose speaks. Please don’t speak over one another that not only wastes your time but mine as well. CX is a time for clarification of your opponents arguments while strategically setting up your own; use it wisely. Another thing is that your partner should NOT be answering all the questions for you. They should be using this time to prep or send out docs. Know your arguments. It is okay to ask for a little help but if they are dominating during your CX it is wasting everyone’s time and showing me you don’t know what you’re talking about. Other than that please just be respectful :)

Timers- I would prefer if you kept time yourselves. 1) because zoom is my personal hell and will most definitely cause problems in round meaning I cannot be certain you will even know I said to stop speaking. 2) There is literally a built in timer to your laptop.

2NC/1NR block- The last thing I want to hear is both of you talk about the same thing the entire 13 minutes. Please split the block and each of you only take certain arguments. I am totally okay w your partner verbally reminding/guiding you to certain arguments but they cannot be giving you entire word for word speeches lol.

Rebuttals- if you bring up new arguments past the constructive not only will I be annoyed with you for wasting time you should’ve been using to expand your arguments but 9/10 I won’t even consider counting them. Weed out your bad arguments, find the good ones and invest all your time into fleshing them out.

Kritiks- You need to have an Alt. If I can’t tell what it is I won’t vote on it. Also general high theory please don’t run it. Unless your coaches specialize in high theory you probably just stole it out of some open ev files from 2 years ago and don’t know what it means and I promise you I don’t either.

CPs: You need to have a net benefit, and a specified actor. If you say the USFG I expect you to be a fantastic T debater.

Topicality: If you don’t run a full shell I can’t vote on it. I expect to see counter interps. Also put T on top of the flow and do not spread through it.

Clarity- Totally fine w/ spreading but if I can’t understand you then there is no way for me to know what I am voting on. My partner was very skilled at spreading so chances are you’re good, however, I don’t want to see you sacrificing clarity for speed.

Evidence- I will look at your evidence. Don’t put 9/11 truthers in as your authors and rely on it as a key piece of evidence LOL.

Politics DA- If you are more than a month into the season you shouldn’t be using camp general file cards. These need to be updated daily so if I catch you lackin w/ outdated cards don’t expect me to vote on it.

There is a 95% chance I forgot to add something so if you have questions just ask :)

Public Forum: The general rules still apply here. The more efficient you are in extending your partners points and fleshing out your own will be a huge help. Line by line still applies. Use CX to be strategic. I know a little about the September- October Topic but I am not entirely invested considering I no longer participate in the activity other than judging. With that being said I know the main arguments and if you say something ridiculous chances are I can tell. Don’t expect me to know what you’re talking about if your speech is filled with a ton of debate jargon. The best thing you can do for yourself is be on the same page with your partner. Most things here are just repetition of what I said above in the policy category so feel free to cross apply general info.

If you have read to here go follow my Twitter: peachyrayyyy for an additional +.5 to your speaks to show that you at least skimmed through my red bull induced minute made grammatically incorrect paradigm and somewhat care about how I judge certain arguments…anyways…peace, love, happiness…go be awesome:)))

Getting my PhD at Wayne State University in communication studies. Competed at Wayne State, qualified to the NDT twice. Assistant coach for West Bloomfield High School’s public forum and IE team.

Include me on emails chains please: DouglasAHusic@gmail.com

I flow on paper, please give me pen time. Start slower and settle into top speed instead of missing parts early on. I care about clarity more than who reads a few more cards. CX is a speech, I flow it in every debate format. I rarely follow along with docs.

Non-important old man yelling at cloud moment: The 1ac is an opportunity for free speaker points and sets the tone for the debate, a lot of people sound like they don't practice reading it.

----

Whoever controls the framing of how to evaluate offense in a debate generally wins my ballot. This is universally true for all argument styles and debate formats. I am very flow dependent. Specifics listed below, but absolute defense is a hard sell absent drops, strategic concessions, or the argument was poorly constructed to begin with.

Debate is a persuasive and communicative activity first and foremost driven by student research. As a debater research was my favorite part of the activity so I certainly appreciate quality evidence production on unique and different arguments. Communication surrounding the importance of evidence is most relevant to how I evaluate it at the end of the debate. A great card that is undersold and not explained and applied may get my appreciation when you bring it to my attention in the post-round, but absent you directing me to the significance of that evidence or why I need to read it won't be important to my ballot. If it’s not on my flow, it doesn’t register for my decision, and, if the warrant is on my flow and uncontested, it won’t matter if the evidence supporting it is weak. I'm extremely uncomfortable with the lengths many of my peers turn to the docs to verify claims that in my mind are just not being debated. If your arguing on the line by line in no way questions the other team's characterization of evidence, I will never go on a fact finding mission.

I expect debater's to make relevant issues on evidence known in the debate.

Debater's should answer arguments.

You don't get to walk-back win conditions you establish that are conceded.

Thoughts on framework:

Full transparency I went for this argument for the majority of my career as a debater as a one-off position, and can be compelled that there should be some limit on the topic for the purpose of predictable negative ground. So take that for what you will.

However, I am also highly sympathetic given my personal pedagogical and research interests as a scholar of alternative interpretations of the resolution for the purposes of interdisciplinary/undisciplined debates. Teams that have a well thought out counter interpretation and vision for what their model of debate looks like are often in a strategically good place for my ballot. In my mind a counter interpretation provides a useful avenue for resolving both sides offense and is often a place where I wish the negative invested more time in the block and 2nr.

That being said, I have been persuaded by affirmative teams who impact turn framework without a counter interpretation. Iterations of this argument which have been persuasive to me in the past include critiques of predictability as a means to actualize clash, critiques of fiats epistemic centrality to clash/fairness/education, arguments which emphasize styles of play over notions of fairness for the game, as well as impact turning the rhetorical performance of framework.

A frequent line in decisions I vote aff on framework, "I think the negative is winning a link on limits explosion, but has underdeveloped the internal link between limits to clash/fairness/epistemic skills as an impact, and furthermore that impact's relationship to the way the aff has framed insert X DA or X impact from the 2ac overview on case is never once articulated". I'm a big believer in if you want to say T/framework is engagement you should actually engage the language and impacts the aff has presented, I will not fill in these connections for you because you say "praxis or debate is key to activism".

Teams over-emphasize the TVA without fully developing the argument. A core dilemma for the negative in round's I judge is the TVA's interaction with affirmative themes, performances, and theories remain superficial and surface level at best. Even when a great piece of evidence is read by the negative, it is an error in execution for the negative to rely on the judge to resolve these connections. My threshold for the TVA being "sufficient" is often higher then my peers. Given the value of the TVA as a way to resolve affirmative offense it is a spot where I think the negative must dig deep(ala Jeff Probst from Survivor) to put themselves ahead in a debate. There are many ways the negative can do this effectively, but all require a more thorough incorporation of the TVA from the onset of your strategy. It's bad form and a missed opportunity when the negative refuses to give an example/or doesn't know of a TVA in C-X of the 1nc. I'm a believer that there is a benefit in the negative block introducing other TVAs in the negative block, The 2nc should tie TVA's to performances, impact arguments, and theories of the 1ac. Saying you could have talked about X thing as a performance instead often falls flat. Do research pre-round or pre-tournament into the artefacts of the 1ac, be creative, you can incorporate them I believe in you.

I am also not a particularly good judge for negative impact explanations which rely on the assumption that the values of research/clash/fairness/iteration are inherent/exclusive benefits of a limited model. The negative often debates in front of me operating from the assumption the aff will win none of their offense or has abandoned these values in their entirety, this is both a bad move and often just a blatant mischaracterization of aff debating. An example with iterative testing. A premise which is hard to dislodge me from: all research is iterative, full-stop. Even when the aff has no counter interpretation, their research practices and argumentative styles are iterative because they build upon previously written research and arguments. This means arguments like iterative testing require more specificity in their explanation. The framing of "Only the negative model allows room for teams to refine arguments to third and fourth level" often rings hollow because it is more descriptive of the strategic incentives to develop arguments over the course of a season (which likely exist in any research activity), and not describe the actual benefit of the style of iteration of your model. A more persuasive iteration impact to me focuses on the question of quality and utility of each models style of iteration, tending more to questions like: is there an insurgent/epistemic benefit to maximizing iteration of state based politics vs negative critique? Instead of saying "the aff always goes for the perm in K v K debates," delve into questions of how affirmative models might distort the capaciousness of K v K debate? Or shutdown debates that are meaningful in the literature through standards and practices of debate's offense/defense paradigm? Are there moments where the aff contradicts their model or counter interp performatively? What is the significance of these contradictions? Are there potentially negative effects of the aff model for subjectivity? All of this is really my way of pleading with you burn the blocks of your predecessor, make some new arguments, read a book, do something.

Creativity and negative argument development on framework has plateaued.

You all sound the same.

I will be extremely frustrated if you opt to go for framework over any argument that is clearly well-developed and clashes with the aff that they blow off. There are many rounds where the 2nr decision to go for framework shocks me given 1ar coverage. Don't include A+ material if you are not prepared to go for it.

K’s vs Policy teams:

I’m a fan. I like when there is a lot of interaction with the case. I'm an ok judge for specific philosophical criticisms of the plan. I'm a substantially worse judge for "you defend [use] the state." The alternative tends to be the focus of my decision (is it competitive, what does it do to resolve the links, etc). I'm a pragmatist at heart, I believe in real-world solutions to problems and I'm often persuaded that we ought to make the world a better place. How your alternative deals with affirmative attacks of this genre matters a lot to me. I've voted for more pessimistic or alt-less Ks, but, again, mostly due to technical errors by the affirmative. I find myself caring less about alternative solvency when the negative team has spent time proving to me that the aff doesn’t solve their impacts either.

Aff teams are most successful when they have a clear approach to the theme of the negatives K from the 1ac. Either be the impact turn alt doesn’t solve team --- or be the link turn plus perm team --- wishy washiness just gets the aff into more trouble then its worth often allowing the negative a lot of narrative control on what the aff is or isn’t about.

Unless told specifically otherwise I assume that life is preferable to death. The onus is on you to prove that a world with no value to life/social death is worse than being biologically dead.

I am skeptical of the pedagogical value of frameworks/roles of the ballot/roles of the judge that don’t allow the affirmative to weigh the benefits of hypothetical enactment of the plan against the K. You're better served making arguments which elevate the importance of the impacts you've described and undercutting the ability of the aff to resolve their own. I'm totally open to disproving the affirmative's model of predictions - I just think you have to do the work to have my skepticism outweigh their narrative. I don't think its a particularly hard sell for me when the work is done. But I rarely see teams engage the case enough to decrease risk.

I tend to give the aff A LOT of leeway in answering floating PIKs, In my experience, these debates work out much better for the negative when they are transparent about what the alternative is and just justify their alternative doing part of the plan from the get go

DAs:

Links control the direction of the DA in my mind absent some explanation to the counter in the debate

You should invest neg block time into the link story (unless it's impact turned). A compelling link argument is very powerful, and can cover holes in your evidence. "Impact turns the case" is a bit overrated, because it normally lacks uniqueness. Not making the arg is a mistake, but banking on it can also be a mistake.

I miss straight impact turning and link turning strategies from aff teams.

Theory:

theory arguments that aren't some variation of “conditionality bad” aren't reasons to reject the team. That being said, I don't understand why teams don't press harder against obviously abusive CPs/alternatives (uniform 50 state fiat, consult cps, utopian alts, floating piks). Performative contradictions matter less to me in the 1nc especially if they’re like a reps K (stuff like the Econ DA and Cap is more suspect). Performative contradictions carried through as a position in the block grinds my gears and should be talked about more. Theory might not be a reason to reject the team, but it's not a tough sell to win that these arguments shouldn't be allowed. If the 2NR advocates a K or CP I will not default to comparing the plan to the status quo absent an argument telling me to.

New affs bad as a policy argument is definitely not a reason to reject the team and is also not a justification for the neg to get unlimited conditionality (something I've been hearing people say).

Topicality/Procedurals:

By default, I view topicality through the lens of competing interpretations, but I could certainly be persuaded to do something else. Specification arguments that are not based in the resolution or that don't have strong literature proving their relevance are rarely a reason to vote neg. I will say though lack of specification often annoys me on both sides have a debate, cut some offense, defend something please. It is very unlikely that I could be persuaded that theory outweighs topicality. Policy teams don’t get a pass on T just because K teams choose not to be topical. Plan texts should be somewhat well thought out. If the aff tries to play grammar magic and accidentally makes their plan text "not a thing" I'm not going to lose any sleep after voting on presumption/very low solvency.

Points - My average point scale is consistently 28.2-29.5. Points below 27.5 are reserved for "epic fails" in argumentation or extreme offensiveness (I'm talking racial slurs, not light trash talking/mocking - I love that) and points above 29.5 are reserved for absolutely awesome speeches. I cannot see myself going below 26.5 absent some extraordinary circumstances that I cannot imagine. All that being said, they are completely arbitrary and entirely contextual. Things that influence my points: 30% strategy, 60% execution, 10% style.

Cheating - I won't usually initiate clipping/ethics challenges, mostly because I don't usually follow along with speech docs. but if i notice it i reserve the right to call you out when especially egregious If you decide to initiate one, you have to stake the round on it. Unless the tournament publishes specific rules on what kind of points I should award in this situation, I will assign the lowest speaks possible to the loser of the ethics challenge and ask the tournament to assign points to the winner based on their average speaks.

Ethics challenges brought up pertaining to fabrication or out of context evidence submitted into a round end the debate for me. If it is determined that the ev is fabricated or meaningfully out of context then the team who introduced the evidence receives a loss and the low end of my point scale.

Email - robbpluta@gmail.com - please include me on the email chain!

As an FYI, I don't coach for any teams currently, and last debated as a senior in high school, so I probably have a little less experience with the intricate details of a lot of arguments than other judges, especially as the season is starting. Explaining everything out to me, no matter how obvious it might seem, is a great way to earn my ballot.

Judging Philosophy - My default position is that debate is an educational competition, and that by exchanging arguments in this space we gain knowledge on the topic, the world, political mechanisms, activism, etc. I can be convinced out of this reasoning but sans framework it's where I default.

I am adamant that I vote only on the arguments presented to me in the round. If an argument is clearly abusive, doesn't link, makes no sense, has no supporting warrants - I am counting on YOU to be the one to point it out. This is a test of your skills, not mine. I've voted for DAs that clearly don't link simply because the Aff let's Neg get away with it - always call out the other team and don't count on me to do it.

A dropped argument is a conceded argument - but you need to point out why this wins you the round.

Slurs or abusive language/arguments designed to hurt others (racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, etc), is an auto-ballot against the violating team. "Fascism good" arguments fall under this category as well.

Sans above, I will be willing to vote for any argument, but historically, I've noted what I find more persuasive below.

Topicality - I'll be honest that I have rarely voted on T's that were not dropped in whole/in part. The neg needs to make the argument that T is a priori (as I will not assume this). The Neg should attempt to prove what education/ground has been lost by the aff with actual examples, otherwise I tend to be unconvinced. If you're going for T, make it the whole 2NR.

DAs - always cool (Unless you're going for "climate change good / isn't happening" in which case I will laugh you out of the room)

CPs - always cool - Neg run what you want, aff run theory it's abusive. Arguments that tell me "this is what debate will look like if we allow ______" are a must if you're arguing abuse.

Ks - cool if explained well. A layperson's explanation is a must, especially on psychoanalytic Ks. It's not necessary for K's critiquing Aff's specific plan epistemology to have an alt, but is never a bad idea. Ks that critique the resolution/general format of policy (IE 'state bad') should absolutely have one. Aff - always question the link.

FW - super cool - needs to be in every round.

Theory - cool - I'm probably in the minority of judges who think so. But debate is a competition, and debating best practices that allow everyone to play the competition are intriguing to me. Statements like "Debate becomes _______" or "Debate will look like ________" are essential.

Performance Affs - cool, but should still be "topical". At minimum, a "plan text" that states "We [do the resolution] by ________".

Impact Calc - absolutely necessary. Probability / questioning the link always seems neglected in favor of magnitude, which would be a mistake for me.

General Things I like:

- SLOW DOWN on your Tags! and tell me NEXT when moving on!

- Explicitly contrasting FW/Role of the Ballot.

- Explaining the benefits or drawbacks of the world of the alt

- Questioning the warrants of cards

- Reading more than just the T or Theory shells.

- Theory debates where we are having honest discussions on game theory/what is best for debate, and moving beyond shell arguments.

Things I'm not the biggest fan of:

- Running Condo with less than 4 off case

- 5 or more off case

- Elections DAs more than 6 months before an election

- Sticking ONLY with T or Theory Shells

- Reading off standards/voters in T/Theory without explaining what they mean (What the heck is "reasonable"? Or "education"?)

- Not explaining the warrants/alt of the K to me.

- Heck, reading any K and not being able to explain it with current / relevant examples outside the space of the round

I debated all throughout high school, so I am very familiar with the mechanics of PF debate. Here is what I ask of you in each round:

1. Be kind and polite to your competitors. Being rude will affect speaker points, and in some extreme cases, the outcome of the round.

2. Talk at a pace that is reasonable to everyone in the round. I can flow speed and will clear you if you are just going too fast, but if I think that you are using speed as a tool to make the round inaccessible to your competitors, that may affect speaker points/outcome of the round.

3. Provide a clear explanation of why you should be winning the round. This will help you to be more sure of the outcome of the round. If you leave me to weigh impacts or compare frameworks, you are giving me a lot of control over the outcome of the round.

4. Provide evidence in a clear and accessible manner. I am totally fine with "Author Name, Year" citations (and in fact, I think this is how you should always cite after the first time you mention the card), but make sure that your citations are consistent and accurate. I will not ask for evidence at the end of the round (unless there is some major disagreement about what the card actually says in the round) because I feel that this is the responsibility of the debaters.

--If evidence is requested by your opponents, you must produce it in 90 seconds, or it will eat into your prep time. When reviewing evidence, that is your prep time. If I think you are using evidence request as a means to steal prep time, I will call you out and it will be reflected in your speaker points.

5. CrossX is a time for asking and answering questions. If I think that you are abusing the purpose of CrossX to respond to your opponent's answers, I will interrupt you. If it continues, it will be reflected in your speaker points.

6. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Debate is an excellent learning opportunity, and if there is anything that I can do to make it more educational, just let me know. I am always available via email: rmreilly@umich.edu.

Thank you! Good luck!

Public Forum Debate:

I competed all 4 years of high school in Public Forum at Dexter High School, and have been coaching/judging since 2018. I mainly judge on use of impact weighing, cohesive arguments and responses, and unique/compelling arguments.

I judge on a mix of tech/truth. I won't necessarily drop a rebuttal or response with theory and no evidence as long as it makes sense, but for larger arguments that your case relies on, evidence is necessary. Decorum during the round (rudeness, interrupting repeatedly during crossfire, et cetera) will affect your score, more on this below. I don't flow crossfire and I don't judge on it, but I will be paying attention for contradictions or lack of knowledge/an answer. I'm not a fan of offtime roadmaps, considering they waste time during the round and serve very little purpose. If you signpost your speech properly, you won't need an offtime roadmap.

At the end of the day, I'll judge mostly on voter issues mentioned in the summary/FF, in terms of what arguments have been dropped, responded to, or are still standing, so make sure to collapse and/or mention your strongest points during the round at the end.

If any of the students in the round are having decorum issues, it will greatly affect my decision. I've noticed that most of these issues happen during crossfire, due to how easy it is to get frustrated with your opponent. While I was competing, I was definitely quick to make a crossfire heated - there's a pretty easy fix for this. Your speeches and your arguments should be addressed to me, and not your opponent. Your job is not to wear down your opponent until they concede, your job is to convince me that your arguments are more important. I hope this reframing of the debate can help some of you, even if crossfire isn't something you initially struggle with. Remember, we're here to learn and have fun, not to get angry at each other over arguments that really don't even matter in reality.

Forensics:

Now that forensics is slowly moving to Tabroom, I'll add a little blurb here about it. I competed in both interp and PA events, but found the most success later on in my forensics career in Broadcasting. I am more inclined towards the PA events and will probably be far more helpful as a judge in those events. If you're in interp and you've gotten a basically blank critique sheet from me, I sincerely apologize (if I have nothing to say it means I had nothing bad to say and didn't really notice you doing anything wrong).

That being said, in interp, there are a few things that I do not appreciate. First, adding too much emotion to lines that don't need that much emotion. If the only way you can come across as upset is by screaming your lines, try something else, like using facial expressions. I know a lot of you have pieces that require you to make loud noises, which is fine, but remember that there are usually people competing right next door. Screaming your entire piece is going to give me a headache and it's going to interrupt the round next door. Secondly, adding in incredibly dramatic scenes that make no sense with the cutting/story you're trying to convey. If you're conveying a character arc that has nothing to do with mental illness or suicide and then out of nowhere your character commits suicide, I will find it in bad taste unless there's a reason for it to be there. I don't take lightly to specifically issues of suicide and it won't give you extra points for having a more "emotional" program. Third, if you can do a cartwheel or a back handspring or whatever sort of gymnastic feat, please do not put it in your piece unless your piece calls for your character to do a gymnastic feat. I once judged a round where three people randomly did cartwheels and I had to decide who had the best cartwheel - please don't make me do that again. Thank you.