PARENTS PREPARED TO CONSOLE, JUST IN CASE.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

As the mother of a player on the Conejo Valley Little League baseball team, Dawn Lister knows the team's magical ride won't last forever.

The 11- and 12-year-olds from Thousand Oaks open play Friday at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., after defeating Green Valley, Nev., on Thursday at the Western Regional championship game. If they lose at the next level, their journey will end and the youngsters will have to return to their normal lives.

Lister, whose son John is one of the best hitters on the team, and the rest of the parents face the potentially difficult task of helping their sons make the transition from mini superstars to regular kids. If the team's championship dreams come up short, the parents will have to help ease the pain and try and convince their kids of the virtues of their once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Conejo Valley has won 17 consecutive games to get to the World Series, but only one team will be crowned champion, leaving a handful of others in need of comforting.

Lister is well aware of that and already prepared, just in case. She thinks the kids are, too.

``It's hard to say what John's reaction might be if things don't go our way,'' Lister said. ``But I think (the kids) are starting to realize how much they really have accomplished, no matter what happens.''

The potential problem is that the higher Conejo Valley climbs, the greater the letdown will be if it loses.

``That's where the parents have to do a good job of stress management,'' said Dr. Barbara Dobrin, a psychologist with the Center for Creative Change in Newbury Park. ``The point that must be made is that everything is temporary, and that goes for the highs and the lows of life. As for losing, the kids need to understand that nobody wins all the time and that everything in life is not always going to be a slam dunk. So whether it's winning or losing, you have to roll with it.''

Dobrin suggests the parents use current professional athletes as examples of how losing is as much a part of sports as winning and that an athlete isn't less of a person simply because he or she was on the wrong end of the score. As good as the Lakers have been, they were not crowned champions the past two seasons. The same goes for the New York Yankees.

``Even Tiger Woods loses,'' Dr. Dobrin said. ``The key is to focus on your training and values because if that's not the focus, disappointment can set in and that may lead to kids wondering if something is wrong with them. Nothing is wrong. They just came up a little short this time. That is nothing to be ashamed of.''

Michelle Brower, whose son Jordan pitches for the team, is saving memorabilia from the experience so that Jordan will always have fond memories. Win or lose, Brower wants the focus to be on the journey, not the ultimate result.

``Of course it will be hard to lose, but when you sit back and think how far you actually got, there should be no disappointment,'' Brower said. ``And when you return home you have all these stacks of newspaper articles to remind you what a wonderful experience this all was.''

The other key factor parents must remember is perspective management. Each step Conejo Valley has taken, more and more adulation and attention have come the players' way. The risk is that too much is coming their way too soon.

The game against Green Valley was played in front of more than 7,000 at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, and the game was nationally televised. Afterward, reporters and photographers surrounded the players. The attention will escalate in the days leading up to Williamsport. They will be featured on local and national TV and in newspaper and magazine articles. Their names and faces will be splashed from coast to coast, and for the next two weeks, they'll be treated like celebrities.

That is bound to have an impact.

``The danger in that is it might create false expectations and a false identity.'' Dr. Dobrin said. ``What they need to realize is that fame is tenuous, at best. It's like a big flame of fire. Initially it burns brightly, but soon it will burn out. Unless you have a plan for the aftermath, you risk burning out as well.

Fortunately, most of the players will phase right into another sport as soon as they return from Williamsport, so their focus will automatically shift to other goals.

In fact, the day John Lister returns he'll report to football practice. As a result, he'll have precious little time to dwell on what he just went through.

That might be the perfect tonic, no matter what happens.

``He's got a bunch of football teammates waiting for him saying, `Hey, do your thing with the baseball team, but when you get back home, we can use a little help over here,' '' Dawn Lister said.

Vincent Bonsignore, [phone]

vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Conejo Valley Little League players celebrates during their win over Nevada on Thursday.

Brent K. Scott/Staff Photographer