Anthony Leinbach is a man of many talents.
As a cheerleader for Morehead State, Leinbach's hardworking mentality and dedication have helped him accomplish so much.
Away from cheerleading, he's a man that loves to spend time with his family and friends, play golf, collect sports memorabilia, and so much more.
All his qualities and characteristics make him a one-of-a-kind individual.
One of the qualities he cherishes the most, though, is the ability to be a great teammate.
As a member of the Morehead State cheer team, Leinbach has the opportunity to showcase his talents on a national level with some of the best cheer athletes in the world.
Of all the schools in the country, Leinbach chose Morehead State for the opportunity to train alongside his brother and be a part of a team that prides itself on being a family.
"I've cheered at a lot of places, and nowhere has the family aspect that Morehead State Cheer has," said Leinbach. "From my first clinic visiting my brother, who's a third-year on the team now, everyone accepted me with open arms and really brought me into the family that is Morehead. Without that family atmosphere, I don't think I would be here. The winning tradition is amazing, but it's built on the culture we have."
Before coming to Morehead State, Leinbach cheered for the New Orleans Saints.
And as a Saints cheerleader, Leinbach was a part of the first team to bring stunting back to the Saints sideline.
"Being part of the first team to bring stunting back to the Saints sideline was awesome," said Leinbach. "And getting to integrate and learn from our dance counterparts was incredible. I met some of my best friends on that team and cheered with some of the coolest people I know."
Competing in front of thousands of fans at the Superdome and winning national championships with his brother are some of the best moments of Leinbach's cheer career.
But, it's the little moments that happen during competitions that remind him why he loves what he does so much.
"There's no better feeling than hitting that last structure in a hit routine," Leinbach said. "You can't breathe, you just threw so many skills, and you're sitting there at the end just so proud of your teammates, proud of yourself, and proud of how far you've come in a short amount of time."
With a successful career that's taken him all around the country, it's safe to say that Leinbach is on the right path in life.
The person that put him on that path, though, was undoubtedly his dad.
"My whole life growing up, he instilled in us that sometimes stuff doesn't go right, or things get kind of sucky, but that doesn't mean you can just sit around and let the world roll on without you," he said. "He's the hardest-working guy I know, and all he wants to do is be there with his family and make great memories with the people he cares about in life. It's really inspiring to be able to see that my whole childhood."
As an accomplished cheer athlete, Leinbach has advice to share with younger cheerleaders that want to perform at the Division I level.
"I would just say keep working and don't stop when things get rough," he said. "Cheerleading isn't linear. There are ups and downs in everything, don't let a momentary down ruin the places you can go in the ups. I truly believe there's a program for everyone with the right amount of work ethic and perseverance."
Leinbach is never satisfied with where he's at.
He's always striving to be better and the best he can be.
"I competed on the mat last year, and I look back, and I see so many areas I could have been better, so many things I could improve on to help the team win," Leinbach said. "As a team, we practice a lot, but we are working on our own with our stunt partners and groups constantly. There's almost never a day that I'm not in there stunting, some days for 4-6 hours straight."
For Leinbach, there's nothing else he'd rather do.
He loves his teammates, his brother, and everything about Morehead State.
This campus and community have become his home away from home.
And he's going to keep pushing himself and his teammates to ensure it stays that way for many more years to come.
