For many skaters, performing in front of an audience is a familiar feeling. For others, it's an experience they never imagined would be possible.

This week, 30 athletes from Equal Edges will share the spotlight at the 2026 National Showcase in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Fifteen adaptive skaters who use wheelchairs and 15 of their unified partners will bring beloved Toy Story characters to life in a production built on teamwork, creativity and the joy of skating.

Coach and choreographer Phoebe Flynn said the joy the athletes get out of skating is what brings her back every day.

"You can see it in everyone," she said. "Everyone loves being out there; they love to go fast, and they love to spin. It's cool to watch the partners and the athletes connect."

That joy and connection have been the heart of Equal Edges since the program began less than a year ago. Last fall, the adaptive unified partner team started with 10 adaptive skaters and their partners, including sibling athletes, Emma and Abby.

"From there, we got this dream together that we were going to create a team event," Flynn said.

The idea of a unified team grew out of the love for skating that two adaptive athletes found. Emma and Abby first competed alongside their individual unified partners before conversations among family, coaches and the Denver Colorado Figure Skating Club sparked a broader vision. The club wholeheartedly embraced the idea and sponsored ice time as interest quickly spread throughout the adaptive community.

Flynn, a choreographer who is also part of Ice Theater of the Rockies, was a natural fit to help lead the new team.

"I was happy to sort of bring adaptive and the theater together into one," she said. "For National Showcase, Toy Story is going to be super fun. Everyone gets to be their own toy character."

Each adaptive athlete plays a unique role, while families helped create costumes that bring those personalities to life. Flynn said one of her favorite parts of preparing the program has been watching the athletes embrace their roles and discover new ways to tell the story on the ice.

"It's just been fun to ... explore their characters," she said. "And figuring out how to make that work on ice for everybody and tell the story that way."

Although she kept a few surprises under wraps, Flynn hopes audiences remember something much more meaningful than choreography.

"I think it's all about community," Flynn said. "That's our biggest goal: making sure that everyone feels special, everyone feels recognized and important, and we get to showcase all of the talents from every athlete in our club."

With National Showcase taking place in their Denver-area hometown, the Equal Edges skaters will have the special opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in front of friends, family and members of the local skating community.

"We were just thrilled to perform at our local ice show, and it was kind of a cool entry point to see how the crowd reacted," Flynn said.

Equal Edges has performed only twice since its inception: a winter and a spring show that the audience embraced. National Showcase will be the team's biggest stage yet, and reaching this point is the culmination of hard work and team cohesion. The connections between athletes and their unified partners begin before they even step onto the ice.

The unified partners meet with the adaptive athletes and their caregivers off the ice to learn their preferred communication style before practice begins. On the ice, that communication continues through every movement. These conversations build trust and help the athletes grow together, fostering confidence they can carry on and off the ice.

"We have a lot of skaters who were maybe a little bit more reserved when we first started, but those of us who have been with the program for a long time now, these adaptive athletes, you can see that they're excited to be out there," Flynn said. "The music starts playing, and you can see that they recognize the music and they start bobbing along to it. Getting used to moving with the music and being comfortable with your partner, that's the growth we've really seen."

While many adaptive athletes have grown comfortable moving across the ice with their unified partners, Equal Edges is the first opportunity for many of them to skate. The transformation of confidence and joy has reinforced for Flynn why the team exists.

"I think skating is such a unique sport and it's something that a lot of these families and kiddos didn't think would ever be something that was open for them," Flynn said. "So I love that we're creating that opportunity, too."

For a full schedule, ticket information, results and more, click here