Well i guess i could leave my "thoughts" on the mappool/tournament here after playing all of the maps/looking at the post/messages. TBH first you went over with the difficulty, then you went under. Only map i think was OK in the pool due to its small size was the tiebreaker, others were too easy (discluding the first HR map which was too hard).
The mappool was pretty small. If it was bigger it woulda been fine to have few "trap maps" like that one HR map.
It's ok tho, every single first-timer organizer makes mistakes.
few Quick tips
1. Don't blindly look into stars of the maps, 3 stars HR might show 3,6 but actually feels more like 4,8. Take time checking circle size and AR.
2. Bigger mappool=Better mappool, 17 maps > 9 maps.
3. 1 week for registration might seem ok, but it is waaay too short time since players might visit the forum only once every 2 weeks or so.
4. DONT BE AFRAID , ASK HELP! (lol im so good at giving this tip to others XD)
5. Make clear rules, and avoid exceptions.
6. TEST maps, if you cant test them yourself due to the tournament being for higher tier players, have someone else test them.
Once again, everyone makes some mistakes, one only learns by practice.
E: ppl enjoy playing new maps they havent seen b4
ie. pick a lot of DJ s3rl/Non-ranked maps