WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT
BE EDUCATED AND READY
BEAR Sports Group provides education, motivation, and support to athletes, families, and the broader community, helping them develop a clear understanding of the risks and responsibilities associated with their online presence and digital footprint.
The program was built out of what its presenters saw from two sides of the same problem. On one side, dealing with internet child exploitation, intimate partner violence, and sexually based offences — cases where a single online decision reshaped a young person's life. On the other, years spent in rinks and on fields as coaches, instructors, and parents of athletes, watching families pour everything into athletic development.
The two rarely met. Athletes were being prepared for competition and not for the digital world they live in the rest of the day. BEAR exists to close that gap, in real language, with real experiencce, and without asking anyone to step away from being online.
THE PRESENTERS
David Sedgewick
Co-Founder & Presenter
David Sedgewick is a public speaker with more than two decades of experience in law enforcement, specializing in human trafficking, Internet Child Exploitation, Intimate Partner Violence, and sexually based offences. He served three years in the Canadian Armed Forces, worked as a Correctional Officer, and spent 22 years in law enforcement.
Alongside that career he has coached AAA hockey and lacrosse, worked for years as a hockey skills instructor, served five years as Risk Management Director for minor hockey, and raised two sons who competed at high levels of sport.
For the past five years he has presented to athletic organizations, schools, coaches, athletes, and parents on cyberbullying, sextortion, online predators, digital reputation, screen time, healthy relationships, and the long-term consequences of poor online decisions — always age-appropriate, practical, and candid.
Contact Dave Sedgewick
PAt Walsh
Co-Founder & Presenter
Pat Walsh is an experienced and well-respected independent investigator and educator with an expertise in safe sport. He has over 31 years of law enforcement experience and retired as a Detective Sergeant, with extensive training in case management, crisis negotiation, cell phone evidence, mental health awareness, and legal proceedings.
Pat grew up playing hockey in a small town and has completed a number of investigations involving all levels of minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Area. A dedicated father of two, he has been a coach, trainer, and manager for his son and daughter’s teams, from house league to AAA.
As an external party, Pat provides education and risk management, and is often asked to speak about the education of young athletes. His close relationships with scouts, player agents, trainers, and coaches provide additional resources to assist that work.
Contact Pat Walsh