Disqualified???

As to whether the block situation was out of your control, that is debatable. If a lot of swimmers were slipping off then maybe I buy that story. But, if you simply were not able to control yourself, that might not be valid. All blocks are slippery at every pool in the country. I assume you mean this from the official's viewpoint rather than suggesting I'm lying about what happened to me. I don't have as much swimming experience as some on this forum, but I have been doing it for a while. Most starting platforms have some sort of non-slip material, especially if they're tilted. And yes, even these can get slippery because they're wet... it's at a pool after all... I've encountered and successfully navigated all-plastic wet blocks before (usually the tops are level or near-level, as were most of them at this meet) including my other starts at this meet (didn't particularly care for them, but let's face it, not all starting platforms can be like the ones at Nationals). That's why it was so surprising to find my feet sliding off the block and into the pool when going into a starting position on this particular start. Out of thousands of starts, this was new to me. All the blocks and starts were slippery that day but not with the severity or bad timing of this one. Just thought someone might have experienced something similar and/or know whether there's a protocol for how to deal with it. There is also some ambiguity regarding false starts and it is the referee's/chief judge's ultimate call. In the case where you were slipping and wiggled after "take your mark" you were certainly in the DQ realm. I guess the alternative would have been to fall into the water and then when the judge came over explain your case that you were slipping and hope he/she was in a forgiving mood. Totally agree with you that I was in DQ territory. There was no question about movement on the block. I felt like I was pulling a Bugs Bunny trying to stay on. Like unavoidably sliding a car on black ice through a stop sign - there's no question that it happened and that it was illegal. I deserve the ticket from that standpoint. I suspect you're right that my only other option was to force the DQ by falling into the water and beg forgiveness at the start. Greatly appreciate the input!

As to whether the block situation was out of your control, that is debatable. If a lot of swimmers were slipping off then maybe I buy that story. But, if you simply were not able to control yourself, that might not be valid. All blocks are slippery at every pool in the country. I assume you mean this from the official's viewpoint rather than suggesting I'm lying about what happened to me. I don't have as much swimming experience as some on this forum, but I have been doing it for a while. Most starting platforms have some sort of non-slip material, especially if they're tilted. And yes, even these can get slippery because they're wet... it's at a pool after all... I've encountered and successfully navigated all-plastic wet blocks before (usually the tops are level or near-level, as were most of them at this meet) including my other starts at this meet (didn't particularly care for them, but let's face it, not all starting platforms can be like the ones at Nationals). That's why it was so surprising to find my feet sliding off the block and into the pool when going into a starting position on this particular start. Out of thousands of starts, this was new to me. All the blocks and starts were slippery that day but not with the severity or bad timing of this one. Just thought someone might have experienced something similar and/or know whether there's a protocol for how to deal with it. There is also some ambiguity regarding false starts and it is the referee's/chief judge's ultimate call. In the case where you were slipping and wiggled after "take your mark" you were certainly in the DQ realm. I guess the alternative would have been to fall into the water and then when the judge came over explain your case that you were slipping and hope he/she was in a forgiving mood. Totally agree with you that I was in DQ territory. There was no question about movement on the block. I felt like I was pulling a Bugs Bunny trying to stay on. Like unavoidably sliding a car on black ice through a stop sign - there's no question that it happened and that it was illegal. I deserve the ticket from that standpoint. I suspect you're right that my only other option was to force the DQ by falling into the water and beg forgiveness at the start. Greatly appreciate the input!