Hello everyone, I'm new around here and looking to get into skydiving in the near future. I have been looking around reading alot of info from the boards and trying to see how the sport is. I currently live in Purvis Mississippi and have a dropzone about 10 miles from my home in Lumberton at Gold Coast. Since it was so close it has really peaked my intrest a little more to get going. I currently have a big problem before i can start skydiving. I am fairly short at 5'9" and weigh 280 lbs. I have had a friend already talk with Gold Coast and i will have to get down to 240 lbs before i can make a tandom jump their so i have some work cut out for me. I have also looked into skydive spaceland in Houston and i would be able to go their at my current wieght of 280 but i figure its better if i loose some wieght before i start, since that is their max weight. This should be a pretty good motivator for me since im really and wanting to get into the sport. How does being Heavy really afect your skills of being a skydiver and staying active in the sport? Also are their any good alternatives or other places i should look into before i make my decision? Thanks for all the help and looking forward to meeting people and learning about all the different DZ.