COVENTRY, R.I. (WJAR) — An outstanding wrestler recently received a priceless gift from a family member of someone close to him.
11-year-old Cayden Vincent has been wrestling since he was five years old.
“At his first training, he did things he shouldn’t be doing at his age. It was pretty obvious that we were going to spend some time on the wrestling mat,” said Tom Vincent, Cayden’s father. “Now it’s time, I don’t want to sound weird or anything, but I’m looking for kids that can beat him. We’re going to go to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, all over New England, some to Rhode Island. Most of his fights are in Pennsylvania.”
Cayden is an independent wrestler who has won more than 300 matches.
Many of them are on display in his room at his house in Coventry, along with his nickname “Gator.”
His basement has been converted into a practice room, and his mentor is not only his father but also Joziah Fry.
“He has beaten high school and middle school wrestlers and is entering 6th grade this year,” Tom said. “We are always on the right track with wrestling and the community is great,” added Megan Vincent, Cayden’s mother.
“We see them more often than our real relatives, so they become like an extended family to us,” Tom said.
Although the Vincents have met many people over the years, one person in particular stands out in Cayden’s memory: Robert Germann Jr., known as “Boston Bob.”
“A few years ago, Bob was refereeing his match and it was a big boy. He just picked him up and threw him to the ground and Bob looked at him like he was watching him the whole tournament,” Tom said. “Since then, every time Cayden showed up, he would go out of his way to find and watch all of his matches.”
A friendship developed between Bob and Cayden, as well as with the rest of the family.
“Whatever Bob said, Cayden listened. They were always giggling and talking. Cayden is very quiet and very private, but whenever he saw Bob, his face would light up, they would laugh and talk. He brought him out of his shell,” Tom said.
“We’ve developed some kind of bond, we like each other, we look out for each other and stuff,” Cayden said.
According to Bob’s only daughter, Kimberly Lombardi, Bob had a lot in common with the children he whistled.
He himself began wrestling in the 1960s and was a standout player at the University of Lowell.
“He still holds the record for most pins at this university,” she said. “After he graduated, he started coaching and then became a referee. He did that for 38 years, refereeing wrestling, lacrosse and field hockey and traveling all over the United States. They flew him everywhere, that’s how he got the name Boston Bob.”
According to Lombardi, her father was an educator for decades and also had his own doctrine.
Wrestling was his passion for a long time.
In the summer of 2023, Tom recorded a video of Bob to encourage Cayden to keep up the good work.
In it, Bob holds Cayden’s hand and can be heard saying, “I’m going to do this for many years and raise your hand in many tournaments. You’re going to make it to the top. There are two people who will definitely be there: your father and I will be there when you make it to the top. You can count on that.”
These words stuck in Cayden’s mind.
Unfortunately, Bob died a few months later from an unexpected heart attack.
“I got a message from one of the referees telling me he didn’t show up for a game. I texted him and called him, but he didn’t respond,” Lombardi said.
“We saw online that it was Boston Bob. It was like a punch in the gut. Like I’d just lost a family member,” Tom said. “The last time we spoke to him was on the same mat in the same area where Cayden won the nationals this year. Kind of special.”
Tom said Cayden struggled with the news of his death before his win this year.
He found out the night before Rhode Island’s inauguration.
“He told us I’m going to win this for him tomorrow. He went up in the last fight and his heart was pointing to heaven,” Tom said. “But after he won the states, there was a time when he wasn’t wrestling properly. He was winning, but he started losing fights and he lost his confidence.”
“Yeah, it was a result of Bob’s death,” Cayden said. “He said I’ll be with you through college and beyond.”
Around the same time, Lombardi learned about her father’s relationship with Cayden.
She is his only child and he said he has no grandchildren.
“I was just genuinely touched. I just thought it was so wonderful,” Lombardi said.
Lombardi gave Cayden her father’s favorite referee jersey, his wristbands and his original whistle.
She then had a personalized copy made with her picture on it and the inscription, “I will always be with you.”
“That meant a lot to me,” Cayden said.
“That was a big thing. He said he would be there for me. He grieved for a couple of months until he got the whistle and then everything changed, like, ‘In the future, this is for Bob,'” said Tom. “When he saw what was written there, it was like he had come back. His confidence was immediately apparent. He beat everyone, I don’t think a single match lasted more than 30 seconds.”
Since he got the whistle, Tom wears it around his neck at every game.
They haven’t met Lombardi yet, but they plan to.
“I wanted him to have a piece of my dad to remind him of him,” Lombardi said. “The jersey that was actually in the video, the armbands and the whistle were to give him a little comfort and let him know that Boston Bob would always be with him. He may not be able to see him physically, but his presence is still there and he’s proud of you and he’ll always be with you.”
