Around Town: Athletes in spotlight at OC Throwdown

Athletes from around the world will gather this weekend in Costa Mesa to compete for cash prizes at the sixth annual OC Throwdown. The three-day event will include handstand walks, hurdle jumps, sprints and rope climbing.

OC Throwdown will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive. Admission is $20 to $30.

For more information, call (714) 708-1500 or visit https://www.theofficialoct.com.

*

Prayer against slavery

Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women & Justice will present an afternoon of prayer for victims of labor and sex trafficking on Saturday at Newport Mesa Church in Costa Mesa.

“‘Pray for Freedom: Challenging Slavery’ brings the Christian community together to pray for wisdom, empowerment and success in the battle to end modern-day slavery,” Sandra Morgan, director of the Global Center for Women & Justice, said in a statement.

The event, from 3 to 5 p.m., will be simulcast to churches, universities and communities nationwide. It will include Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) and representatives of Project Rescue, World Relief, Salvation Army, World Hope International and Vanguard University, according to a news release.

The Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking and the National Weekend of Prayer to End Slavery and Trafficking are partners in the event.

Newport Mesa Church is at 2599 Newport Blvd., on the Vanguard campus. For more information, visit https://www.vanguard.edu/gcwj.

*

Stem cell seminars

The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center will present a series of free public seminars starting Sunday on the use of adult stem cells for degenerative and inflammatory conditions.

Seminars provided by Dr. Thomas Gionis, the center’s surgeon in chief, will be held at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Marie Callender’s Grill, 12489 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach.

Others will be at 2 and 4 p.m. Tuesday at Polly’s Pies, 23701 Moulton Pkwy., Laguna Hills, and 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Denny’s, 23515 El Toro Road, Lake Forest.

To attend, call (949) 679-3889.

*

Student basketball tournament

Students in grades 4 through 6 who attend Newport-Mesa Unified School District schools are invited to participate in an inaugural double-elimination basketball tournament Feb. 16 to 21.

Entries will be limited to the first eight schools that apply in each division. For more information, call Harlan Andersen at (949) 642-8372.

From staff reports