Mentorship meaningful for veteran Canadian sport climber Sean McColl

Sean McColl's pursuit of another Olympic Games in sport climbing includes bringing the next generation of Canadian talent along with him.

A former four-time world champion in combined — speed, bouldering and lead — McColl is closer to the end of his career than the beginning at the age of 36.

But he's not so much passing the torch as lighting it to guide climbers such as brothers Oscar and Victor Baudrand into territories McColl's travelled.

"It's so important to me, mostly because at some time I'm going to stop, I'm going to retire," McColl said. "I need to transfer my knowledge."

The first man to represent Canada when sport climbing made its Olympic debut in Tokyo two years ago, McColl was as much a mentor for as he was a competitor of his boulder and lead teammates at the Pan American Games, where climbing also made its debut.

The U.S. swept the men's boulder and lead podium late Monday evening at Cerrillos Park Climbing Walls. Gold medallist Jesse Grupper claimed a guaranteed berth in next summer's Olympic Games in Paris.

McColl, 18-year-old Oscar Baudrand and his 20-year-old brother Victor ranked fourth to sixth respectively. After the bouldering round, McColl and Sean Bailey of the U.S. were tied for first.

When the eight finalists were given their allotted time to study the lead fixed course, McColl and his proteges discussed how each could clamber as high as they could in their six minutes.

"I've seen it all in the competitions and they've seen some. Maybe not all," said McColl of North Vancouver, B.C. "If I can slowly transfer that knowledge as a helper or as a coach, whatever it is, I'm willing to help these guys succeed.

"It's funny because Oscar is 18, I'm 36. I'm twice his age. Victor is 20 and they just