If you’ve watched any sports highlights show the past three years, you’ve seen the footage of the NBA’s Miami Heat and their Big Three at an infamous free agent signing rally.

“Not three championships,” forecasted LeBron James, flanked by his then-new teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as a partisan crowd roared its approval. “Not four …”

She competes in a different athletic realm, but Maine’s Amanda Robertson can relate.

Robertson, who was known as Amanda Scripture when she competed and later coached at Poland Regional High School, is now a five-time cheerleading world champion.

Consecutively, in fact. Robertson earned that distinction for the fifth straight year with a select squad at the International Cheering Union World Championships in Orlando, Fla.

“There is one team from every country. It’s kind of like the Olympics. There were 76 countries represented this year,” Robertson said. “It was my fifth year in a row, and I’ve been a captain all five years.”

It’s a stunning accomplishment when you consider the typical competitive window in cheering. Most athletes reach their peak in high school or college.

Robertson, who moved to Georgia two years ago and attends Kennesaw State University, will turn 28 on her next birthday.

“I’m pretty old for cheering,” she said. “I just keep up. I’m super competitive. I don’t want to just barely make it on the team. I want to be one of the best.”

As the stock market disclaimer goes, past success is not an indicator of future performance.

Robertson first learned of the international competition during an online search in 2009. She sent in a video showcasing her skills and subsequently was invited to try out for the team in person.

Each year the team is chosen from scratch. Robertson went through the same rigorous channels prior to her second, third, fourth and fifth world competitions.

Once selected, the cheerleaders are emailed personal workouts and a breakdown of the stunts. Twenty-four strong, from all across the country, they are brought together 10 days before the event.

“It is like boot camp. We’re together 9 a.m to 4 p.m. every day. It is intense,” Robertson said. “Once you get down there it’s trying out all over again, because they’re picking who’s going to compete and who’s going to be alternates.”

The age difference was less of an object to Robertson because she remained active in the sport.

She practiced three days a week and competed with her college team all winter.

“There’s no shape like cheer shape,” Robertson said. “You’re considered one of the best tumblers if you make the last tumbling pass, and I’ve managed to stay close to the last one every year.”

While she could pass for being the same age as her teammates, yes, the fact that she was born in a different decade is the subject of good-natured humor.

“At the last Kennesaw cheer clinic one of the girls was 14, and somebody had to go and point out that I’m almost twice as old,” she said.

Now that she has enough championship rings to cover her hand, though, Robertson has no qualms about yielding to time.

She plans to spend the 2013-14 season using the skills acquired through her Kennesaw academic minor — coaching.

Not six?

“I think this old lady needs to retire,” Robertson said with a laugh. “I wanted to retire with five in a row.”

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