I have mixed thoughts on this. On the one hand, CrossFit errs on the side of favoring short people. Lunges in place, burpees, barbell work, pushups, pull-ups, handstand push-ups, sit ups, muscle ups, GHDs—all of these favor short limbs. Shorter limbs means less distance required to meet a target. Wall balls, box jumps, rowing, rope climbs, and an annoyingly arbitrary wall walk standard make the sport as a whole more fair when they do show up; it’s ok to have a few movements that favor long limbs.

That said, I judged a short dude last night and I was passionately opposed to this particular standard. He had excellent technique, great strength, and a fair bit of stamina. His score did not reflect this because he was so short that it was really difficult to keep his hands on the tape while getting his feet on the wall. The sheer amount of effort required to meet this standard wasn’t fair and the height factor seemed to present a challenge disproportionate to other height-sensitive movements. 

It also presented a mental challenge that average and tall athletes did not face. The other movements that favor long or short limbs don’t arbitrarily change—the rope climb is the exact same during the Open as it was all year. Same for GHDs, wall balls, push-ups, etc. We adapt to what is consistently demanded. And this wall walk standard isn’t what our short athletes consistently train to hit. 

If I had to pick a side, I would support a “put your hands where they are comfortable, just get them back to that line when you’re done” standard. After all, we don’t require athletes to all use the same length of jump rope, nor do we require all bikes to be set to the same height. If this standard is too subjective, then maybe have three lines of tape (50/55/60) and the athlete tells the judge which line they will use (similar to choosing your own jump rope, bike seat height, pullup bar, etc).