this is my first pumpkin I ever took to a weigh off. The pumpkin weighed in at 218lbs. Now I hope next year I can break my record. I think im going to have to prepare alot earlier and study somemore to get a big one to grow in my yard next year. I couldnt get over the size of some of those pumpkins I seen at the altoona Pa. weigh off mine looked like a baby compared to the ones I seen.I want to thank everyone on here for all the tips. especially bigpumpkins.com for having a site to look at and learn. better luck next year.