Broomfield-based robotics clubs are headed to the upcoming state competition after qualifying this month.

The BroomBots and The Fellowship of the Broom are two of the Broomfield teams that are headed to the next tier of the FIRST Robotics Competition.

FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — is a nonprofit group that helps to prepare students for the future through science and technology. Well-known for its robotics competitions dubbed “the ultimate sport for the mind,” the group uses concepts such as coding to inspire students to become leaders, creative workers and scientists.

“I told my parents, ‘How fun would it be if we started a robotics team?’ And I was mostly joking when I said that, but they took it very seriously, and now here we are, three years later,” ninth grader Tobin Rumsey said. “This team has gone to worlds, had three robots, helped a lot of people at outreach events — it’s probably the longest running joke I’ve ever been a part of.”

Rumsey is on the BroomBots, which is composed of kids from across the county of varying ages. Each year, the kids work together to build a robot that completes a game to score points.

The game is new each year, and this year’s game involves the robot picking up 3D printed shapes of a certain color. The robot can score points by either placing the shapes in a designated basket or by hanging the shapes off of a metal structure in the center of the arena.

“I joined the team because I had friends who were on it and I wanted to try building robots, and now it’s become one of my favorite things,” ninth grader Emery Crider said. “I enjoy being here with all the people, and it’s been fun learning new things — how to problem solve and a lot more STEM related stuff, I just really enjoy learning.”

The BroomBots’ sister team, The Fellowship of the Broom, is a new team that will be going to the state competition for the first time in February. Both teams operate as part of the Broomfield Robotics Club.

“When I found out we qualified for state, I screamed — very loudly,” eighth grader Fiona Moody said. “I was completely overjoyed, I’m still overjoyed.”

The Fellowship of the Broom qualified at a competition hosted at Prospect Ridge Academy on Jan. 18, and the BroomBots qualified at an earlier competition in December. Another Broomfield-based team from Prospect Ridge Academy, Blackout, is a group of five juniors that is also prepping for the state competition on Feb. 8. State is hosted this year by Regis University, and the event is free and open to the public.

“It’s very exciting to qualify, but also very nerve wracking,” eighth grader Ila Davis said. “I do want to win, but I’m just proud that we got here.”

In addition to skills like teamwork and professionalism, working on the robotics team has inspired some of its members to continue working with robotics into the future.

“I didn’t really think robotics was too interesting, but after I joined this team my whole view on it changed completely,” eighth grader Ilakkia Godwin Sahayaraj said. “I think I’ll do a lot more with robotics in the future.”