I recently posted a question about racing and received a lot of great answers so here is another question. I am about to participate in my first race (in a pool) and I am worried about being disqualified now. What are some of the common mistakes I need to be aware of? Turns maybe?
3) For future reference, what options does one have when running into trouble on the block? When the starter said 'take your mark' and my feet started sliding in, do I have the option of saying 'hey, wait a minute, please, I'm falling in' or do I just have to go with it and hope no one notices the movement?
It's up to the official to decide to stand up the heat. You could try to stand up and hope they don't send the heat, but it's really up to the official. My advice centers on checking the conditions prior to getting on the block for the race. During warmups, you should do a couple starts off the blocks so you're familiar with them. Switch to flat starts if there's a problem or dry off the blocks with a towel before your race.
There is a general notion of 'bend 'em and send 'em" at USMS meets because once Masters get set it can be perilous standing them back up or holding them, especially for our older (matysekj) swimmers.
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.
I don't officiate USMS meets but do a ton of USAS meets. In our LSC we do not tell the swimmer immediately. When I travel to other states, like Georgia, they do tell the swimmer immediately. So, I'm not sure if immediate notification has any relevance to whether the DQ was done correctly.
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.
My last suggestion is that if you consistently have issues on the blocks you might want to consider starting from the deck, which is perfectly legal.
I always hand wipe off the front edge of the block b4 I start. This will do 2 things - get most of the water off & tell you how slippery the front & top are.
