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"Must slide" is quite a bit different than "Must slide OR avoid contact".
But I think people just hear or remembber the "must slide" part. And again it seems like only LL rule set and local league rule sets (which are often poorly written and left open to interpretation) use the actual words "must slide". Yet it has become one of those famous softball myths like "the hands are part of the bat".
It's a misconception backed up by the fact that in pro baseball it is a perfectly accepted part of the game to crash into a fielder who is holding the ball waiting to tag you where as in softball that will get you called out and probably earn you an early check out.
To put "must slide" in writing IMO is simply opening a litigation nightmare when little Sally breaks her leg sliding because the rules said she had to.
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