Small Wonders : It may be the Little Miss of America Pageant, but the pressure, level of competition and stakes are enormous.

Austin Sponsel strode across the stage with the practiced moves of a professional runway model, the one-piece white bathing suit contrasting sharply with her black sunglasses. After a few spins, she turned her back to the crowd and shot the judges her favorite pose--her face tilted rakishly downward, her long blond curls swept smartly to one side.

It was the work of a pro. Her mother stood in the wings, smiling approvingly. They both knew the routine so well--after all, the reigning Mrs. Minnesota and her daughter practiced it so often together. But Sheila Sponsel already had her crown. Her daughter was still shooting for hers.

Not that a pedigree makes life any easier on the national beauty pageant circuit. Future fame exacts a price, even if, like Austin, you are only 6 years old.

Austin was one of nearly two hundred girls and boys competing for fame, cash and prizes at the annual Little Miss of America Pageant at the Century Plaza Hotel last weekend. The pageant showcases some of the nation’s most talented tykes and teens and offers casting agents a veritable pastry cart filled with fresh-faced clients.

But the ages are about all that separate this spectacle from the grown-up beauty pageants. The pressure is great, the rivalries real, the stage mothers abundant. When the room contains enough Shirley Temple look-alikes to sink the Good Ship Lollipop, sometimes you’ve got to push a little harder to take your moppet to the top.

“You’re not necessarily working on winning each of these pageants,” Sheila Sponsel said. “You’re looking at developing poise and the ability to perform. But I’m a businesswoman, and I know that you can’t wish for things to happen.

“It’s a tremendous amount of work. You have to train hard and practice so much that it looks natural. But when you get to this level, there’s a lot of pressure. There always is when you’re competing.”

Sandy Regan, whose daughter Chelsea has been competing against Austin Sponsel for years, said she quit her job in order to devote herself to the pageant circuit full time.

“I feel like I’m investing in her future,” the Minnesota resident said. “Ultimately, the goal is to land a career in modeling or commercials, but it’s hard work. You have to decide which audition to take her out of school for, make sure that she gets to all the pageants on time and try and make sure that it’s still fun for them.”

Susan Gibson, a former Miss Oklahoma, started the national pageant in 1979, and the event has grown so much that this year they had to move to a larger hotel.

The pageant, based in Beverly Hills (where else?), offers titles for Tiny Miss, Little Miss, Master, Young Miss, and Miss Teen, as well as prizes ranging from a Burbank apartment (six months’ free rent) to an interview with a top Hollywood casting agency. Although all the divisions are competitive, most of the entrants and casting agents eye the Tiny Miss talents, the mostly adorable 3- to 6-year-olds who might might someday exchange wisecracks with Bill Cosby.

Although most of the kids have yet to become household names, it’s not for lack of trying. Many of the contestants already have agents, have done commercials and some have done films. Beverly Hills resident Tina Brosius, a three-year veteran of the circuit, recently completed a movie called “Kindergarten Cop” with Arnold Schwarzenegger. And when most children are watching “Winnie the Pooh,” these children are perfecting the lyrics to songs like “Top Hat” with their voice coaches.

For most of their parents, it’s a large business expense. In lieu of an entry fee, pageant contestants pay up to $350 to have their photo included in the pageant catalogue. Throw in air fare, hotel expenses, clothes and other essentials, and each stop on the multi-legged tour costs about $4,000. Tina’s wardrobe alone is worth about $10,000.

“Most of these kids have aspirations to break into the industry,” Gibson said. “They see it as a stepping stone to the business. We try not to stress winning as much as provide a forum in which they can perform for people already working in entertainment.”

That’s why, following the swimwear competition, Austin Sponsel spent several hours rehearsing two routines for the talent segment of the pageant. She was competing against a lineup featuring industry professionals, girls who have been modeling, tap dancing, singing and acting for years--or in this case, for more than half of their lives.

Dressed in sequined tuxedos, elaborate party dresses and all manner of ruffled outfits, these kids belted out Broadway melodies and tap-danced up and down stairs. Some tap-danced up and down stairs while belting out Broadway melodies. Austin did the only stand-up comedy routine, which focused on her future presidential candidacy. (“I must be the only presidential candidate in history who has to wait for her Cabinet to be born.”)

The pageants sometimes take their toll. Deborah Hansen’s daughter, Amber, was so tired she nearly fell asleep in the hotel ballroom while the other kids were on stage. Another girl broke down in tears right on center stage as she was scheduled to begin her routine.

“It’s an exhausting schedule,” Hansen said. “These kids really work hard and it shows because there is some fabulous talent here. But it’s tough. There’s so much pressure.”

Hansen decided to escape and took her daughter to Disneyland.

Sheila and Austin Sponsel stuck it out. The 6-year-old impressed the judges, but against a lineup of professionals, she fell back into the pack.

On this day, it was Tina Brosius’ turn to shine. With dozens of pageants under her belt, more than 300 national awards and numerous television and print commercials to her credit, Tina can cry on cue and belt out “Ain’t He Sweet” at the first casting director’s call.

Her version of “The Tennessee Waltz” was such a knockout that even the judges, most of them professional casting agents, were motionless.

And when she finished, it was clear that all those years of voice and acting lessons, auditions and rehearsals had finally paid off. Tina took home the talent trophy and was named 1990 Tiny Miss of America.

And with that, Tina’s mom, Beverly, announced that Tina would now retire from the circuit--at least until she’s eligible for the Miss America Pageant.

“We did it for the experience of performing on stage,” she said. “Whatever you want to say about the pageants, the kids learn a lot from them, and they learn it fast.

“But it’s time for Tina to get out because it’s not fair, Tina is a professional now. She’s already got her SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card. It’s time to let the other kids compete.”